Guardian Fox
by D3athrav3n92
Summary: Jacqueline Collins finds herself in a tough situation. One that she's DEFINITELY not happy with.
1. Savin' Me

**D3ath: Well, here's a new story, one that's I've had on my mind for a while. This is not your average fallen-into-your-favorite game story, and even thought it sticks with the Zelda plot (sometimes), it takes off on a little different tangent than what most people would think. Hope you guys enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zelda, only Jacqueline and anyone non-Zelda related.  
**

**Guardian Fox**

**_by D3athrav3n92_**

**Chapter 1  
**

Jack groaned and fell into her seat as the bell rang, signaling the start of her last class of the day. For a moment, she closed her hazel eyes, blocking out all signs of corny motivation posters such as "ENTHUSIASM _IGNITES_ GREATNESS" or "TEASING HURTS!" before focusing on the student beside her. A tiny brunette raised an eyebrow.

"What's up?" she asked, and Jacqueline Collins scowled.

"Statistic teacher's the biggest bastard I've ever seen," she replied, irritated. "He apparently doesn't know how to count, even though he's the _math_ teacher! He doesn't teach us anything, and if we say one single thing, like 'ow', he goes and gives you a detention! _And_ he gave us a massive pile of homework!" She blew a lock of red hair impatiently out of her face. "I already have a presentation on neurotransmitters for AP Psych!" Jack exclaimed, frustrated.

The brunette winced sympathetically. "I'm sorry, but if it helps, mine is almost as bad as yours."

Jack rolled her eyes. "I find that hard to believe," she said, and the tiny girl beside her grimaced.

"Trust me, you would."

Hazel eyes narrowed. "Pop-quiz?"

"Worse," moaned the brunette, stopping in mid-drawing. "Three essays and a project, all on _All the King's Men_. You had to read that for summer reading, didn't you?"

Jack thought. "Yeah…I think so; the one about politics, right? With all of the scandals? Where that Willie guy has affairs with his secretary and that Adam guy's sister?" At the brunette's nod, Jack gaped open-mouthed. "I'm so sorry," she finally said, pulling her Physics book out of her bag. The brunette shrugged, crossing out her small doodle. She thought for a moment, before she completely scribbled out the whole thing. "Uh, you do know how an eraser works, don't you?" Jack pointed out, and the brunette cracked an embarrassed grin.

"Yeah, I know—I always forget to use it, though," she said, before turning glum again. "Man, I don't want to do them," she complained, turning the conversation back to their school assignments. "And _All the King's Men _is the most God-awful, boring book I've ever read. Who'd want to read, much less write, an essay about it?"

"Mrs. Carroll," Jack snorted. "Thinks she's funny, the masochist." The redhead sat back, twirling a pencil in her long, pale fingers. She shifted, settled back again, before leaning forward and resting her elbows on the desk, fidgeting constantly, as if eager to leave.

Her friend watched Jack in amusement. "What's up your ass?"

"Huh?" Jacqueline looked up, startled out of her thoughts.

"You look worried," her small companion pointed out, and Jack shook her head.

"I'm worried about the family," she said softly, and her friend's eyebrows crinkled in sympathy. Jack's mom had gotten into a severe car accident a few days ago, with no hope of making it out of the hospital alive. Jack's father was distraught with the idea of losing his wife, and had recently taken to staying at work longer than he needed to. Jack's younger brother, fourteen-year-old Aidan, had buried himself into his video games, refusing to acknowledge the fact that their mother was dying by killing monsters that didn't exist, taking his frustration and pain out by slaying dragons and such. Even Jack herself had changed. Before, she used to be a happy-go-lucky kind of person, always optimistic, but the coming of her mother's death had been a blow to the redhead. Jack was no longer smiling as much, her swearing increased tenfold, and nowadays she seemed a little more stressed and distraught, which was not good for any teenager, especially when said teenager was having her period…The brunette fervently hoped that Jack wasn't PMSing.

"Sor—" the brunette began to say, but Jack cut her off, glaring fiercely.

"Look, Allie, you have nothing to do with it, so _quit apologizing_," she growled, nearly snapping her pencil in two as she clenched her fist. "I can't help it if mom's going to die, and neither can you. You had nothing to do with the accident, so what should you be sorry for?"

"Sorry," Allie apologized again, and Jack whirled on her, her eyes blazing.

"What the hell did I just tel—"

"I'm apologizing for apologizing, dumbass!" Allie snapped angrily, folding her arms. She glowered tremendously at the bigger girl. The situation, if it had been a little less tense, would have looked comical with the petite girl glaring down the large, near-six-foot-tall redhead. However, neither of them noticed, and after a moment, Jack ducked her head, ashamed.

"Sorry," she mumbled, turning back to her desk. "Everything's been so hard, y'know, with mom dying…" Jack gritted her teeth, frustrated. "There's nothing I can do," she muttered angrily, pain filling her eyes. "I can only just sit here and wait until she's gone, which could be any day now!" her voice was rising, and the teacher glanced back at the two.

"Is everything all right, Miss Collins, Miss Ferguson?" he asked, and Jack nodded, sinking into her chair.

"Jackie…" Allie began, but Jack shook her head.

"Just drop it," she snarled, before turning her attention back to the board, trying to push all negative thoughts out of her head.

Allie just heaved a sigh, and began to write.

* * *

Jack was solemn as she stepped off the bus. For most of the ride, she had ignored everything around her, even when a freshman had thrown his shoe past her face (by accident, he had claimed to the bus driver later). She merely stuffed her earphones into her ears, turned up the music, and stared out the window as the trees passed by her.

Silently, she watched as the bus turned around the corner, leaving her standing in the middle of a small neighborhood. She huffed, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and walked through the suburbs of Atlanta, making her way across the street and to her home.

It wasn't large, nor was it overly small. The Collins's house had dark red brick, with black shutters, white paneling, and roses all along the walkway. A black iron banister lined the way up to the door, and Jack rolled her eyes as she spotted a small object in front of the doorway.

It was a dead frog.

"Pansy," she groaned, gingerly picking up the frog by its foot, making faces as she chucked it across the street and into the neighbor's yard. "Pan, you stupid cat," she muttered, stepping into the house and immediately heading over to the bathroom to wash her hands. "Even your _name's_ stupid." Her mother insisted they named the cat Pansy, since it was such a "sweet" name. And so, they indulged her.

Now she was starting to kind of regret it. It was such a silly-sounding name for the little terror from hell, and they just stuck with Pan anyways. Not to mention that said cat was a _boy_.

She nudged the cat with her foot as she stepped out of the bathroom. He meowed pitifully up at her, staring at her with his big green eyes. Jack groaned. "No, Pan, you don't need something to eat; I bet you've already eaten a whole ton of shit already, you little freak."

Pansy only yowled in response. Jack bent down to pet him, then straightened, focusing her hazel eyes on a slender figure curled up in front of the TV. "Oi, Aidan, how long have you been there already?"

"Only a few minutes," he replied, not taking his eyes off the screen. Jack snorted disbelievingly, before dumping her homework onto the table, shoving Aidan's uncompleted homework onto the chair beside her. A guy in silver and black laughed evilly on the screen, and Jack rolled her eyes as Aidan growled, "Ganondorf, your ass is _mine_."

"Just try not to hurt yourself with the controller or something," Jack called, turning to dig a pencil out of her backpack.

"Shut up," Aidan retorted, his thumbs moving rapidly as he battled.

"Bloody neurotransmitters," Jack muttered, sorting through a few pages of notes. "I don't care how the brain works, I just took this class so that I could mess with other people's minds." She propped her elbow against the table, resting her head in her hand as she scribbled down part of her presentation. "Let's see…the nucleus is surrounded by the soma, which is surrounded by dendrites. They send out signals to the axon terminals…" She suddenly yawned, and her eyelids drooped. She shook her head furiously, before continuing. "The axon, surrounded by the myelin sheath, sends signals to the next neuron, and so on…" she yawned again, and set her pen down onto the table. "Aidan, I'm going to take a short nap, alright?" she mumbled, and Aidan didn't even glance up from his game. He suddenly sniggered, and Jack looked up, half-asleep. Was Aidan trying to hit the baddie with a fishing rod? She watched for another moment. Yes, he was. She watched in interest for a moment as a figure in green slung a fishing rod comically at the red-haired villain, and she packed her homework away. "Aidan, are you listening?"

"Yeah, sure," he said, distracted, and Jack yawned again, standing up and heading up to her room.

"Wake me up in half an hour, okay?" she asked, and Aidan nodded, his eyes still focused on the screen.

Jack stumbled into her room, kicked off her shoes, and fell into bed, letting out a massive yawn as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_She dreamed she was floating. She hovered over a blank space, and she looked around, a little startled to be there so suddenly. She cleared her throat. "What the hell?!" she finally exclaimed, her head whipping around to glance at the area around her. "Where am I?"_

"NO!! Please, don't leave me!!" _Jack jumped at the sudden burst of noise, and an image formed underneath her feet. Her stomach dropped, and she felt sick as she observed the scene, a feeling of dread building up inside of her._

_Her father stood beside of a hospital bed, pleading desperately as he gripped his wife's hand, her mother's hand. She was pale, and doctors were rushing around the two, trying to get her heart back to a normal pace as the heart monitor's beeping slowed._

_"NO!!" screamed Jack, clutching her face and dropping to her knees as she watched the horrific scene. "Please mom, don't!!" she sobbed, rocking back and forth as her father clutched her mom's hand. "Don't leave, mom, I can't—" she hiccupped, tears streaming down her face as she watched. She couldn't tear her eyes away, and the memory would be forever embedded in her mind as long as she lived. "Mom, no, I love you—"_

_The heart monitor stopped._

_There was a brief pause as the doctors sprang into frantic movement, one of them going as far as to grab a heart defibrillator. Jack and her father held their breaths as the medical man shouted._

"CLEAR!!" _he shouted, pressing it to her mother's chest. Agony tore at Jack's chest as her mother jerked from the force of the machine, and she wailed as her mother made no other movement. The doctor swore._ "CLEAR!!" _He tried again, over and over, but Jack knew by then that it was too late._

_She howled, no longer paying attention to the scene as she clutched at herself, sobbing and crying. If she had, she would have seen her father give a bellow of despair, his whole body shaking as he gathered his wife's body up into his arms, mimicking Jack's movements._

_"Mom—mom—Don't leave me, mom," Jack mumbled through her tears, her heart tearing to pieces as the memory replayed over and over in her mind. "No mom, I'm sorry for everything I did!! Come back, please!!! Don't leave me!! I need you, mom, we all need you!!" she wailed, and she buried her head into her hands, her whole body heaving. Her head was a mixture of thoughts and emotions, but one stood among them all: grief._

_Jacqueline didn't know how long she had been there, nor did she care. All she could see or think was of the terrible scene she had witnessed, and she had yet to stop crying. The image had faded from beneath her several minutes ago, leaving Jack to suffer in the empty area._

_She stiffened suddenly as comforting arms wrapped around her. However, despite the invading presence, she couldn't help but lean into the embrace, turning and crying into the shoulder of whoever was holding her. She honestly didn't care. She felt like her world had just ended._

_"Everything will be alright, little one," a voice whispered into her ear. Another voice snorted beside them._

_"I don't see why I have to be here."_

_"Silence, Din," a third voice snapped. "She's suffering; you don't have to make things worse, like your kin has already." A low growl came from the second voice. The comment had obviously struck a sore topic, and Jack sniffed, wiping her eyes to no avail. They just kept coming down. She turned, hiccupping slightly, to focus on the three individuals that had joined her._

_The one holding her had beautiful blue eyes and hair that was a rich blue in color. Her face was perfectly shaped, with no flaws or marks on her smooth pale skin. Her dress rippled, as if representing waves off of an ocean, and her mouth was curved up into a smile. The most striking feature about her, however, was her eyes. They seemed to draw her in, giving Jack the impression that she understood everything that was going on, displaying wisdom that far exceeded any average being._

_The second was tall and fierce, with snapping red eyes and fiery hair. She stood proudly behind the first being, and her dress seemed to resemble live flames that flickered and danced across her smooth skin. It was revealing, dipping down towards the middle of her chest, and showing off long legs, a bare stomach, and strong shoulders, but the flames didn't seem to faze the woman as she fixed burning eyes on the redhead, stroking a crimson sword. Jack gulped and moved on, not even bothering to wipe away her tears now._

_The third woman distinctly reminded Jack of a hunter, with a hunter's bow in her hands and a quiver of arrows resting between her shoulder blades. Forest green hair was tied back, bangs framing her delicate face as green eyes met watery green eyes. A reassuring grin crossed her face, almost catlike, and she placed a hand on her hip. Her tunic was a dark green, a thick brown belt encircling her waist and thick heavy boots adorning her feet. She nodded at the redhead and began to speak, confirming the identity of the third voice that Jack had heard._

_"Hello there," she said cheerfully, and Jack grimaced in response, not wanting to speak back._

_"It's alright, you don't have to talk," the blue woman said, giving Jack a comforting squeeze. "Just listen to us."_

_Din, the red woman, snorted contemptuously. Green glared at Din before facing Jack. She cleared her throat. "We have a proposition to make. We'll save your life if you save our world."_

_"Hmph." Din looked at her fingernails. "I say we just let her die."_

_"Din!" scolded the blue woman, her voice no longer comforting or kind. "Hold your tongue!"_

_Jack swallowed, her chest still heaving and her nose still running. "What do you mean, 'save my life'?!" she demanded bitterly, now desperately trying to stem her tears._

_"This," Din said, snapping her fingers._

_An image formed beneath Jack and the others, and Jack tried to recoil back. Blue shook her head and kept a firm grip on Jack. "You need to see this," she said softly into Jack's ears, but that still didn't stop Jack from crying out at the image it presented._

_It showed Jack hanging from the fan in her room, kicking frantically as hands gripped the rope around her neck. Her face made grotesque expressions, and Jack grew extremely pale as she watched herself commit suicide. She watched her eyes fade, and soon, the body fell limp, leaving a terrible feeling in Jack's gut, her stomach now rolling. She rolled out of Blue's grasp, and retched, her whole body shaking as the memory joined the one about her mother's death. Cool hands touched Jack's forehead, and her body trembled viciously as Green cleared away the mess with another snap of her fingers, as well as the image beneath them._

_Jack gasped and shook, her face pale as she dripped with sweat. Green nodded in approval. "You see? If you help us, you won't have to suffer that fate."_

_"What—" Jack croaked. "What if I don't?"_

_Din gave a vindictive chuckle. "Then we wipe your memories clean, and you commit suicide. Do you honestly think we'll let you remember this talk if you refuse our offer?"_

_"Din," Green reprimanded, before facing Jack. "There will be terms and conditions if you do accept, though," she said._

_"I suggest you think them over," Blue added quietly._

_Jack nodded. "I accept," she whispered, and Green nodded._

_"Excellent," she said, grinning. "I'll have to say, you might enjoy this more than suicide."_

_"I don't care, just stop this—dream thing," Jack muttered._

_Din raised her eyebrows. "You don't care about the terms and conditions?" she asked, smirking, and Jack nodded, her mind too focused on the idea of "Get me out of here" to think otherwise._

_"Naryu, I think—" Green began, addressing Blue, but Din interrupted her._

_"Nope, too bad, so sad, let's go," she said, and they all disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

_

Jack groaned softly as she woke up, staring at leafy green trees and bright blue sky before her mind caught up to her dream. A fresh wave of grief overwhelmed her. 'Mom…'

"Please stop grieving," Naryu's voice said, "we really need you to hear our conditions." Jack looked up at the blue-haired woman, tears already leaking out of her eyes. However, she wiped them away. Or tried to, rather. She blinked when her arm didn't function like it usually did, and looked down, only to scream at what she saw.

Naryu rubbed her forehead. "This is why I wanted for you to hear the conditions first, Jacqueline," she said as the little fox before her scrambled to her feet, whirling around to inspect herself. "Since you're one of Din's descendants, she wanted to make things more…challenging. If you were Fayore's or mine, we would have made things easier for you, rather than…harder."

"What the hell?!!" Jack shrieked, facing the blue woman and promptly falling flat on her face, having tripped over her paws. "What the hell is this?!!"

Naryu sighed. "Jacqueline, please calm down," she commanded, adding a little bit of her power to her voice. Immediately, Jacqueline sat, her green eyes huge and her little white-furred chest heaving.

"No," she whispered in complete shock and disbelief. "No no no no no no…"

"Jacqueline, listen," Naryu said, crouching down before the small red fox. "This is important. This could determine the course of this world." Jack fell silent, staring at Naryu dumbly. "That's better." Naryu gave a small smile. "The first condition, I think, you've already figured out." Jack let out an extremely weak chuckle, her body trembling. "The second condition is that you must not tell your charge of your origin, nor are you allowed to give hints. If he figures it out on his own, then so be it. Otherwise, you will be sent back with your memories erased, and your life will end there." Jack became very pale with that statement, and she swayed on the spot.

Naryu reached out to steady the small fox before she toppled over in a dead faint, adding a bit of magic into the touch and preventing her from collapsing. "Careful," she warned, "This is extremely important. Your life, as well as your charge's, depends on your understanding of the conditions." She waited until Jack was ready enough before continuing on. "You are not allowed to tell him of your mission. He will most likely discover it after a time, considering how he is the target, but this mission is to be one of utmost secrecy, not only to Link, but to his enemies as well." The name brought a faint stirring or recognition to Jack's mind, but she was unable to determine where she had heard it. "And finally," Naryu said, her blue eyes flashing, "If he dies, you will be terminated." Jack nodded, her body quivering.

"What is the mission?" she whispered, her voice almost inaudible.

Naryu blinked for a moment, before smiling. "Forgive me for my mistake. Your mission will be to guard the Hero of Twilight from assassinations. You will be in charge of preventing Link from getting killed or kidnapped, as your life, as well as his, depends on it." Jack nodded shakily, before the woman straightened up. Now that she was standing upright, Jack couldn't help but notice how tall everything suddenly seemed to be.

"Your target will be arriving soon." Naryu gave the fox a calculating look before nodding. "Goddesses bless, little one," Naryu said, smiling, before she vanished before Jack's eyes.

Jack let out a high-pitched bark as she scrambled back. "WHAT THE HELL?!! WHAT WAS THAT?!! People just don't _disappear_, do they?!!" She was on the verge of losing it. It just seemed to much; the loss of her mom, the vision of her suicide, then suddenly finding herself here as an—an animal, and now people vanishing?! "I must be going insane!!" she muttered, before she remembered her mission.

"God damn it!!" she shrieked, her voice cracking from overuse. Her hazel eyes began to water again, and she stomped on the ground in frustration. "Damn it to hell!! What have I done to deserve this kind of shit?!!"

Her ears suddenly perked up, a feeling she was not used to. "Damn it!!" she hissed as heard the tromping of boots on dead leaves and twigs. "What do I do?!!" she looked around quickly, before seeing a small bush she could hide under. She darted over to the spot, and waited as the sound grew louder and louder. She cried silently and curled up, her leaking eyes focused on where she used to be as she waited for the arrival of whomever the hell she had to guard.

She squirmed uncomfortably as she waited, miserable. "When the hell is he going to come?!" she muttered, sniffing. "I can smell—" she stopped, letting out a small squeak as more tears rushed from her eyes. "God damn it, why does my life suck?!! Why the hell am I like this?!!" She glared at her paws through tears, as if to prove a point. She looked up. "Where the hell is he?!! I can even hear him breathing!!" She let out a short snarl of annoyance and frustration.

A sword slammed down in the ground before her, neatly shearing off two of her whiskers, and Jack let out a yelp, tripping over her own paws in her haste to get out of the way. She stared fearfully up at the figure from around the sword (for the bush limited her vision somewhat), and she met a pair of fierce blue eyes.

They stared at each other for a moment, before the person cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um, sorry…" he muttered, pulling his blade out of the ground with a grunt. Jack winced from the volume of the sound. It was as if someone had cranked up a stereo to the top volume. "Thought you were a monster." More tears poured down her face, and his eyes widened as he sheathed his sword. "I'm sorry!! I didn't mean to insult you or scare you, really, I just—" he babbled, but Jack gave him a scathing glare. Despite the fact that she was bawling, internally, she was screaming at any deity that had put her in her present situation.

He crouched down, reaching out hesitantly. "Look, I'm sorry—" He laid a gauntlet hand on her head, rubbing it, and something within her boiled at the touch.

"NO!!" She snapped at the hand, catching his thumb as he jerked his hand back. He yelped in pain, studying the bite before glaring at her. Her body shuddered from the touch and the feeling, and his glare softened a bit. It just felt so _wrong_. Everything about being a fox was. Everything was too big, to tall, and too loud. A bombardment of smells assaulted her, and her head was beginning to ache from the sheer amount of scents wafting from the blue-eyed blonde before her.

"Sorry I bothered," he muttered, before standing up again. She hissed at him as he left, before a thought occurred to her. She was supposed to _guard _this guy!

She hurried after him, growling obscenities the whole time. The blonde glanced back, his hat swinging as he studied her in surprise.

"It's following after me," he said softly, to no one in particular. Of course, Jack picked up on every single word, and she growled quietly at the use of 'it'. She was as female, thank you!!

Imagine her surprise when his shadow jumped up beside him to take the form of some sort of imp. "Just ignore it," the…thing shot back, and Jack stared at it in surprise and shock.

_"Your mission will be to guard the Hero of Twilight form assassinations…"_ Naryu's voice whispered in her mind, and Jack sprang into action, not even contemplating the reason why her charge was conferring with it. She let out a snarl, and leapt forward. The thing let out a giggle, and Jack passed through it harmlessly. She let out a yip of surprise, hating herself for the bark, before whirling around, her fur and tail bristling. Her ears were laid flat on her head, and she glared at the figure.

"Sit," the figure commanded, a white grin adorning its features as a yellow eye stared down at her. Jack only snarled in response, trying desperately to think of a way to hurt the creature.

"Midna…" the male said, staring down at her.

"What?" Midna asked, not taking her yellow eye off the fox.

"Look at it," the blonde said in response, pointing at the bristling Jack. "It's larger than most foxes."

"So?" Midna shot back, sounding a little irritated.

"Maybe it's lost it's kits." At this, Jack was strongly reminded of her recent loss (despite the fact that she didn't _have_ any kits), and the tears burst forth. "See?" he said, before looking at Jack thoughtfully. "I didn't know foxes could cry," he added, his eyebrows raised.

"Goody for you, I didn't either," Jack mumbled sarcastically, rubbing her eyes with a black-tipped paw. As soon as she was done, she hastily lowered it. She was beginning to hate the sight of it.

"So, your point?" Midna asked crossly, folding its arms.

"It's homeless, with no one to take care of it."

Midna rolled its eye. "Look, Link, we're not here to take care of every helpless animal in the forest." Link's shoulders drooped ever so slightly, before perking up a little.

"We can at least let it follow us," he suggested, and Midna scowled.

"Fine, whatever," it said, throwing its arms up in the air. "But if you run out of food because of it, don't blame me. Besides, it just tried to attack me!"

"With good reason," Link muttered to himself. Jack suppressed a giggle. My, she was certainly having mood swings, wasn't she? Must've been from the shock, she mused dazedly, now attempting to keep her emotions in check.

"Fine," Midna huffed, folding its arms again. "But for the record, don't blame me if it bites you again." Link nodded, and began to walk away, glancing back to see if she followed. Midna scowled at the fox for one final moment, before darting down and becoming the teen's shadow again.

Grumbling to herself, Jack got to her feet, and padded after the Hero of Twilight, trying not to stumble over her paws.

"This has got to be the shittiest day I've ever had in my damn life," she growled to herself as she followed the two of them into the Forest of Faron.

* * *

**D3ath: Phew, that was a long one to write! Glad I got it off my chest. Honestly, it turned out a lot different than I had originally planned it to be, but I like this better. Hope you guys enjoyed it! Please review! (And I swear, ****If p then q****, if you say ONE THING criticizing my lack of technology or anything else for that matter, such as 'how this and this couldn't have happened', I will kick you.) Please guys, give me feedback on how to make this better! It would be greatly appreciated!! :D And woot! It's midnight!  
**


	2. Hate is a Strong Word

**D3ath: Well, here's the next chapter!**

**Thanks to: **_**If p then q, cookie2718, smashbrawlguy, and Danyeda Goofy Panterita**_**. They were fun to read! :D

* * *

**

**Chapter 2  
**

Link watched the fox thoughtfully as it curled up on the other side of the fire. He himself was leaning against the wall of a small cave they discovered, his tunic washed in a nearby stream and laid out to dry. His sword was close at hand, just in case, and all of his other equipment (such as his armor, food, slingshot, etc.), were set on the far wall, well away from the blaze.

Midna sprang up beside him. "How many more days until the Forest Temple?" she demanded, seeming much bigger than usual in the fire's dim light. Her shadow almost melted into the dark, dancing patterns the flames created, but her golden red eyes glowed almost eerily in the dim lighting.

Link rested his head back, sighing as he took out the small ponytail at the nape of his neck. "We covered more distance than I expected, so I think about a day, give or take a few hours and how many monsters we run into." He glanced at the fox sleeping on the other side of the cave. "Also, the fox might slow us down, but other than that, we should be there by tonight at least."

"Good," Midna said, grounding her teeth as she thought of Zant. "We need to take out that bastard once and for all!"

"Of course," Link said, his eyes drooping. He yawned, covered his mouth with a calloused hand. "Can you keep an eye on the cave?"

"I can," Midna replied. Link began to nod off.

"_Will_ you keep an eye on the cave?"

"Feh." Midna folded her arms and turned away from Link, facing the entrance of the cave.

"Thanks," Link yawned, half-asleep already. As he fell into a light sleep, he missed the small, upward twitch of Midna's lips as she melted into the shadows.

* * *

_A face appeared in her dreams, one that she was quite familiar with. However, the expression was quite different than she remembered, and she screamed aloud as she saw the bulging eyes, the mouth frantically gasping for air, and the pasty, almost blue skin color of the person…_

"_Make it stop, make it stop!!" Jacqueline Collins begged desperately, falling onto her knees. She was human again, but her hazel eyes were filled with tears, her red hair in disarray, and her face extremely pasty and pale. She wanted to tear her eyes away from the scene, but she couldn't—it was if her body was unable to follow her breathless plea. "STOP IT!!"_

_The Jacqueline Collins in the scene kicked, hands flying towards the throat as the ceiling fan shook violently, flakes of dust and plaster floating down and covering the bright red hair with white…_

_Jack sobbed and cried as she watched herself die, the figure in the vision giving one final kick and one last breath fighting its way out of her mouth. She felt sick, and her body shook violently as sweat poured down her face._

_However, it didn't stop there. Unlike last time, the scene kept going on, seemingly lasting for hours but only for minutes at the same time. Jacqueline watched as her brother banged on the door._

"Jackie, c'mon, let's go! We need to be at mom's—" _his voice choked, and there was a period of silence before he spoke up again_. "—Mom's funeral." _The doorknob began to turn._

"_No!! Aidan, don't!!" Jack screamed, her hazel eyes wide with fear for her brother._

"Jackie, let's g—" _The door opened, and Jack cried as her brother stepped into the room. He stopped and went dead white, staring at the horrible apparition in the middle of the room. He fell to his knees, and before Jack knew it, he let out an ear-piercing scream—

* * *

_

Link jolted awake as the fox let out a strangled noise, a cross between a squeal and a high-pitched bark. His hand was instantly on the sword beside him, and he had jumped to his feet before he had even realized it.

Midna flew up beside him. "What's wrong?!" she asked, her golden/red eye wide. Her mouth was slightly agape and revealing a fang as she focused on the writhing fox on the far side of the cave. "What the—"

Link tossed his sword to the side before hurrying up to the red-furred animal. He prodded it carefully, just in case it snapped, and hazel eyes snapped open. They stared at him, uncomprehending, before the fox rolled over to the side and retched, the small form shaking as Link leapt away with a startled oath.

Jack rolled away from the stinking mess, her eyes watering from the assortment of smells emanating from the pile. Every fiber of her body shook, and she could hear Aidan's scream in her head, the image replaying in her mind's eye over and over—

A fresh wave of tears erupted from her, and she curled up, moaning and sobbing into the rocky floor.

"Hey," someone said, and her ear twitched. Suddenly, she felt a new sense of self-loathing, mixed in with all of the confusion, the shock, and the misery she was currently going through. "Are you alright?"

"Go 'way," she mumbled, refusing to face her companions.

"I don't think it's really feeling up to seeing you, Link," she heard Midna say impishly. "Plus, it just threw up all over the cave. Do you honestly expect it to be running around giving hugs and kisses after _that_?"

"Whatever," Link muttered, and he grabbed a rag and his sword, slinging the belt of the sheath over his shoulder. "I'll be right back. Midna, watch the fox."

Midna rolled her eye. "Whatever."

After Link had left, Jack let out a low grow, struggling to her feet and facing the shadow-imp. Midna let out a malicious smirk. "What, don't like me?" She swooped down to Jack's level, floating up so close that they were almost nose-to-nose. "Just to let you know, I don't like you either." Her eye narrowed, and Jack suddenly felt _very_ nervous. Her fur began to bristle, and her tail swung back and forth in an agitated manner. Midna leered. "Scared, are we?" she asked, and Jack hissed, crouching low to the ground. She still felt very weak, and her ears still rang with the screams of her brother. If she were to fight this…creature, then she wouldn't stand a chance.

Midna prodded her white-furred chest, and Jack felt her ears flatten against her narrow skull. "Jeopardize this mission, and I _will_ find a way to get rid of you, understand?" She let out a giggle, her white fangs showing. Jack let out a snarl. "Good. Until then, keep an eye on your back. You'll never know what might happen to it." She floated back up just as Jack heard the slap of wet boots on stone floor. "What happened to _you_?" Midna asked accusingly as Link sloshed his way into the cave.

"Fell into the stream," he muttered, rubbing his blue eyes as water dripped into them. With a curse, he wrung out his hair and grabbed the wet towel from his shoulder, scrubbing at the pool of bile with a look of distaste. "Damn, this is nasty," he commented, holding up the towel when he was finished cleaning up. He made a face, wrinkling up his nose. "I'm going back out to wash this," he said, and he headed back out, leaving a trail of water behind him.

Jack sank down onto all fours, her tail curled around her paws. She huddled as close as she could to the fire without burning herself, and glared at the imp floating at the other end of the cave. As if knowing that she was being watched, Midna threw a sneer over her shoulder before facing the other way again. Jack let out a low growl, before letting out a silent, shaking breath. Her nerves were still rattled from the dream, and she stared at the burning logs before her, unnerved.

Link returned soon after that, and he blew his wet bangs out of his face, kneeling down to prod the fire back into existence. He flashed a smile at the crouching fox. "You know, that's the most severe reaction to a dream that I've seen from any animal, including the ones I used to see everyday, such as the goats and Epona…" he trailed off, a small frown developing on his tanned face. Jack stared into the fire, not responding. Link shook his head, lay down near the fire, and stretched out so that he would dry before he woke again.

"Sorry," Jack whispered, but he didn't respond. Suddenly, Jack felt more isolated than before. No one could understand her. She was by herself on this mission, and there were others trying to stop her from doing that. She was in an unfamiliar territory, with unfamiliar people, and in an unfamiliar form to boot. The walls seemed to close in on her, and the only thing she could hear was the crackling of flames and the steady sound of breathing coming from the dozing teen.

"I hate this place," she murmured, staring into the fire.

* * *

Jack flinched every time Link's boots snapped a branch, and her tail sagged as she trotted behind the green-clad teen. Everything was too damn _loud_. And smelly. The smells that bombarded her senses were almost overwhelming. She could smell everything from the sweat on Link's tunic (which wasn't very pleasant) to the sharp scent of a patch of Nightshade they passed along the way.

She yawned, her eyes drooping in slight exhaustion on she trooped on. She wasn't able to get much sleep that night, for fear of hearing the scream of her brother, or seeing the grotesque vision of her own suicide. Her stomach rolled at the thought, and she stopped, clenching her teeth as she shoved the feeling back down. She stood there until the nausea disappeared, before hurrying after Link and Midna again, cursing every single step. She hated this. She hated being here, she hated Link, she hated Midna, she hated her mission, and she hated her life. Herself. She hated what she had become. It wasn't that she didn't like foxes, but she was still experiencing culture shock, if that was what it was.

Finally, Link stopped, and she almost ran into the back of his legs. "I think we'll stop here," he said, inspecting the glade around them. It was terribly silent to Jack's ears, despite her sharp hearing, and she paced restlessly as Link settled down. Her nose caught a whiff of jerky, and she looked at the blonde in surprise as he pulled out several strips of beef jerky from his pack.

He held a piece out to her. "Here, have some," he offered, and as she gave him an indignant look, her stomach let out a ferocious growl. Link grinned and wagged the strip before her black nose. "Come on, you're hungry, right?"

"Are you kidding me? Your hands look like they could kill from all the germs accumulated there," Jack retorted, warily eyeing the strip in Link's dirt-smudged hands. "No thanks, but—" Her stomach let out another loud rumble. She glared at it. "Traitor." She turned her back on him, trying to ignore the painful wailing coming from her stomach. Link's grin grew, and finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

She whirled around. "Give me that," she said, snatching the jerky out of his hands with her mouth. She shuddered for a moment before settling down to eat it, not even knowing that a pair of blue eyes was focused on her. Link blinked for a moment before a smile crossed his face. He settled back as she gnawed at the strip, and he thoughtfully chewed on another piece.

"It should take us the rest of the day to get to the Forest Temple, so if we keep this up, we should be there at around dusk," he said softly to Midna, his mouth full of jerky, but Jack's ears picked up every word. There silence descended upon all of them as Link and Jack continued to eat.

"Where are all of the monsters?" Midna suddenly asked, a suspicious frown on her face. Jack's head flew up, and she gaped at Midna and Link, a piece of jerky hanging from one of her fangs.

"Monsters?" she echoed, startled, but they didn't hear her. With a sigh and a grunt, Link stood, slinging his shield, sword, and pack over his shoulders.

"I don't know," he admitted, glancing around uneasily. "I haven't seen any since yesterday morning, which is strange. Monsters have been appearing more and more often. They wouldn't just suddenly leave, would they?"

"Generally not," Midna agreed, casting a wary eye around the glade. Her eye fell on Jack. "Of course…this fox could be in touch with them and be telling them to stay away, so it might not be that strange."

Jack stared at the imp, thunderstruck as Link frowned. "I highly doubt it," he said, stretching and yawning. "Even if it was that, why would an animal associate with them? Aren't all animals afraid of monsters?"

Midna paused. "I don't know," she said, a frown on her face. She folded her arms. "But I'd rather not take any chances."

"Whatever, then," Link said, standing back on his feet. "Ready to go?" he asked, looking down at the fox.

Jack merely glared back up at him, not liking the fact that he was practically a giant and that she was somewhat of a midget (in human terms).

'_But you're not human anymore,'_ a little voice in the back of her head reminded her. Jack ruthlessly crushed the thought, but she couldn't help but swallow back tears of frustration. This was not the time to be crying, she reminded herself, and began to follow after Link's brisk trot.

* * *

The day passed swiftly, and Jack struggled to keep up with Link's quick pace as he tromped through the woods. He seemed to grow uneasy the more they traveled, and finally, he stopped.

Jack skidded to a stop, narrowly avoiding his heavy boots. "Why the hell'd you stop?" she growled, knowing that her complaint fell on deaf ears. She looked up at the sound of metal scraping against metal, and she blinked at the sight of Link drawing his sword, unhooking his shield from his back.

"What's wrong?" Midna asked, appearing beside the blonde, and Link shook his head.

"Something's not right," he said, and Midna folded her arms, lifting up an eyebrow.

"How so?" she asked, glancing down at the fox behind Link's brown leather boots for a mere moment.

Jack suddenly felt the fur on her back begin to rise. She let out a growl, and silently agreed with her green-clad charge. Something definitely was not right. Her tail bristled, and she heard low, guttural grunts coming from the forest around them.

A cold weight dropped into her stomach, and she couldn't help but shiver as her eyes focused on a dark figure hidden in the foliage above them. She saw the flash of metal in sunlight, and she let out a bark, "GET DOWN!!!!"

Link jerked and dove to the side, just as a knife flew down. It struck the ground a few feet from where they stood, and Link swiftly drew his slingshot, taking aim. Midna let out a snarl and black magic floated around her fingertips. She jabbed out, and a scream echoed through the forest as a goblin-like creature died, a black, glittering arrow protruding from its chest. Jack shuddered; the scream was eerily similar to Aidan's scream…

She jumped as Link grabbed his sword, rushing toward the base of a tree. "Wait, stop—" she began, but her hazel eyes found a goblin pushing itself up from the ground. Apparently, Link had knocked it out of the tree with his slingshot. Jack's breath hitched as Link attacked another goblin creature, his sword slicing effortlessly through the bare, purple skin.

Jack let out a strangled cry as dark blood hit the ground, and could only watch with growing horror as Link neatly beheaded the creature, sending both body parts flying back and covering the yellow green grass with dark red.

The coppery stench of blood hit her like a semi truck, sending her reeling from the scent alone. She gagged, and her legs shook, threatening to collapse on her.

"Is that all?" she heard Midna ask coolly, and Link shrugged, wiping his blade on a patch of grass.

"I think so," he replied. She heard the crunching of footsteps, and she looked up into the blood-smudged face of Link.

"You okay?" he asked, and Jack took a deep breath, forcing her to calm down. _'You should have expected this,_' she scolded herself, still unnerved from the bloody display. _'You were asked to keep this guy safe from assassinations! Of course there'd be blood!'_ However, she still cringed as her hazel eyes rested onto the area behind him, feeling ill as the scent of copper hung in the air.

"Thanks." She blinked and looked up at the blonde. He smiled. "You warned me, right? Thanks," he said, and he straightened up, walking down the road and whistling like nothing had ever happened.

Jack could only envy him. Suppressing another shiver, she followed after him, forcing herself not to look back.

They made good headway after that, and finally, just as the sun was sinking, Link stopped.

"The Forest Temple," he said formally to Midna, who shrugged dismissively. Jack, however, was staring at the area wide-eyed. There was a root that looked like it was hollowed out, with the top cut off, leading all the way up to the biggest tree she had ever seen in her life. Its gnarled beams rose above the rest of the forest, and a large door sat at the base of its trunk. Roots reached down beneath the cliff that they were standing on, and the dim lighting from the sun gave it a sort of haunted look. "Come on, you have to admit, it is a little impressive," Link said, grinning at the shadow-imp, who was even less visible in the minimal amount of light. Jack gave a nod of agreement, her mouth slightly agape in awe.

"Time to head in," Link said, surprisingly cheerful, and Jack stared at him in disbelief.

"Aren't we going to wait until morning?" she demanded. Link, however, only hummed cheerfully and marched on. "Bloody mental," Jack grumbled before plodding after him.

It took them about five minutes before they reached the entrance. Jack was tense as Link pushed the door open, every single nerve on her body on high alert.

'_Damn sympathetic system,'_ **(1)** Jack found herself thinking, recalling a section they covered in Psychology. With a groan, she followed after the blonde.

She let out a yelp as the heavy stone door slammed shut behind her, narrowly missing her tail, and Link jumped, his sword halfway drawn as he spun around. He paused, staring at Jack with an almost puzzled expression before shrugging and heading deeper into the temple.

Jack, however, swore viciously at the door before moving on.

She looked around the old temple, feeling nervous. The place practically reeked of 'something's-gonna-jump-out-at-you' the more they traveled in. The stairs they walked on were rotting, cobwebs covered the entire ceiling, strange plants and trails of ivy grew along the walls and ground, and Link didn't help, for with every creak, every sound, he drew his sword. Finally, he just kept it out in his hand, causing Jack's nerves to buzz with anticipation.

Jack jumped again as another door swung shut behind her, and she closed her eyes, forcing herself not to yelp aloud and turn Link's sword upon her. She opened them again, only to find herself face-to-face with an _extremely_ large bug.

Jack let out a scream, scrambling back until she was pressed against the door. Link whirled about, and before Jack could even blink, he had impaled the bug through its neck. It let out a small gurgle, four eyes bulging as eight legs scrambled wildly. Pincers clicked, and Jack caught a glimpse of fangs as the bug collapsed, dying right before her eyes.

"Ewww…" Jack moaned, her hazel eyes huge. Her black-tipped ears were pressed flat against her head, and her tail was tucked in between her legs.

"That's one big spider," Link said after a moment, studying the creature.

"I didn't even know they grew that big," Jack said faintly, leaning against the stone door for support.

"I think it's full grown." Link prodded at it, frowning, and Jack resisted the urge to throw up.

"Uh, Link, I don't think it is," Midna said, pointing behind them, and Link spun as an even bigger spider attacked, screaming its displeasure.

Jack almost wet herself with fright. "Oh God oh God oh God oh God…" she said through numb lips, frightened beyond belief. This particular spider was gigantic, even bigger than Link. "Please let this be the mom, oh God _please_…"

Link leaped to the side as one hairy foreleg smashed down beside him. He growled through clenched teeth as a rock struck his jaw, and he swung his sword at the spider's neck. The spider hissed and batted the blade away. Link swore, and stabbed again, this time striking it in the eye.

The spider let out an angry squeal, and Link took this as an opportunity to run his sword through its unprotected neck.

The spider thrashed as Link pulled away, and he panted as he stepped back. The spider twisted and turned in its death throes, and Jack whimpered as a leg landed beside her, a little too close for comfort.

Finally, the beast stilled, never to move again. Link let out a relieved sigh, wiping his forehead.

"Alright, Midna?" he asked, and Midna popped up beside him, grinning.

"Fine," she replied, eyeing the huge spider. "That must be a Skulltula; I thought they died out a while back."

"Lucky for us they didn't," Link quipped sarcastically, sheathing his sword. "Anyways, how do you know?"

"The skull-pattern on its back," the imp replied, gesturing to the grinning skull-like design.

"Of course," Link muttered, before looking around. "Hey, where's the fox?"

"Wouldn't be surprised if it died," Midna mumbled under her breath. Link glanced disapprovingly at her.

"They _do_ understand humans, you know," he said, peering under the large spider and kicking the smaller one aside. "Oh, there you are," he said, revealing Jack pressed against the doorway, unable to move. He snapped his fingers in front of the fox. "Something wrong?"

"Yes, because I hate spiders!!" Jack snapped in response. Link only shrugged, not understanding, and jerked a thumb at the area behind him.

"We're leavin'," he said, turning and following a path deeper into the temple. Jack blinked and followed him.

The next few rooms continued on like this, with Link being attacked, Jack unable to help, and then the both of them progressing onwards. It was only until they reached the seventh room when something unexpected happened.

"Hello!" Jack let out a startled bark as a monkey appeared behind her, and she glared angrily at the chimp. It had large brown eyes, a smile on its face, and a big red flower tucked behind its ear. The monkey studied her. "I've never seen you before, are you new? Is this your first time in Faron Woods? Did you bring anyone else with you? Or—" the distinctly feminine voice stopped, and the chimp's eyes widened as she spotted Link standing behind the fox with his blade unsheathed. "Hey, I know you!! You saved me and the little human chimp a few days ago!!" she chattered and bounced where she stood. "It's so good to see you again! Are you here to save any other human chimps? Or are you here to help us—oh!!" her eyes lit up in sudden understanding. "You're here to help the chief, aren't you? You are, right?!"

"Er—" Jack began.

"Alright, let's go!" the monkey cheered, and she grabbed Jack, scuttling up a wall of vines before the fox could protest.

"Hey—augh—let me down!!" Jack snapped, and the chimp set the agitated creature down with a laugh.

"You're funny!" she said, before looking down at Link, gesturing up. "Come on then, climb up!! Just like I did, okay?! You can do it, I know you can!!" Jack groaned and butted her head against the wall.

'_Trust me to find the animal equivalent of a cheerleader here,'_ she mentally groaned.

"I think she wants you to follow her," Midna voice floated up from below, and Link snorted.

"Really?" he asked sarcastically, before sheathing his sword. He tested the vines to see if they would hold him before beginning the scale the wall.

The monkey cheered. "Yah, yah, keep climbing!! Yah!! You can do it!!"

Jack groaned and put her paws over her over-sensitive ears.

After a minute or two, Link made it to the top.

"Hooray!!" the monkey said excitedly, scurrying around Link. "I knew you could do it!! You're amazing for a human!! Now come on!" She grabbed Link's hand in excitement, dragging him over to the next door. Link merely cracked a grin before complying with the monkey's wishes. "Let's go help out the chief!"

"You're quite the ladies man, aren't you?" Jack heard Midna giggle.

"Shut up."

The monkey pulled them through several rooms, before stopping on a large platform. It had torches lit around them, along with several pots and even a chest hanging from the ceiling. There were doorways in front of and on either side of the platform. However, they were all located on cliff-like platforms, with no way to get to them, save for the rope strung across to the ones on the sides.

"You go this way!" The monkey suddenly appeared beside Jack and grabbed her. "You need to find my brother and free him from the nasty monsters!"

Jack let out a strangled growl. "Don't grab me!!" she snarled as the monkey scurried across one of the ropes, before depositing the fox in front of one of the doors. "Here you go!" the monkey said cheerfully, opening the door for her, and before Jack could protest, the monkey had pushed her in, and shut the door, bathing the room in total silence.

Jack swallowed and faced the next room, nervous.

"Bloody monkey."

* * *

"I HATE THIS!!!" Jack screamed as she ran around the small enclosure. She had found the monkey's brother after several rooms, but said monkey had failed to mention that her brother was also being guarded by two large trolls.

"Left!!" the monkey in the cage above called out unhelpfully. Jack dove for the left, feeling a club brush by her and slam into the ground. "Right!" Jack darted to the side, only to be kicked in the rib. "Don't get hit!" the monkey cried out as he watched Jack fly through the air. She landed, coughing.

"DAMMIT, SHUT UP!!" she roared, before tripping one goblin into another. They crashed into each other, and the crack from their heads hitting was audible throughout the room. Jack froze, watching the two creatures with hazel eyes.

They did not get back up.

She let out an audible sigh, before glaring up at the chimp above her. "You're not that helpful," she said snidely, and the monkey huffed, folding his arms.

"Well, excuuuse me," he said snobbishly, turning his head away indignantly. "I didn't ask to be rescued by someone who's obviously had no experience in this sort of thing." Jack glowered. Who knew monkeys were so annoying?

"Good, 'cause then you can get yourself out before these two creepers get back up," Jack retorted, turning away. The monkey balked.

"No, wait, hold on…" he called, and Jack glanced back, a vindictive smirk gracing her muzzle.

"Yes?" she asked sweetly, and he scowled.

"…help me out…" she heard him mutter, and she shook her head.

"What's the magic word?" she asked irritatingly, and he glared.

"_Please_."

"That's better," Jack said, approaching the pillar the monkey's cage rested on. She studied it for a moment, before grinning an unholy grin. "Tilt your cage to the side."

The monkey stared at her. "Are you _mad_?! I'd fall!!"

"And I'm incapable of grabbing the cage myself and physically lifting you down, so yes, fall. Unless you wanna stay stuck," she said. She turned and trotted back up the bath before the monkey could respond. As she turned down a hallway, she sat, smirking as she heard a yelp and a crash. Moments later, the monkey appeared beside her, rubbing his side. He bared his teeth at her.

"Never again," he promised sourly.

"Of course," Jack replied, making her way back to the room where she left her charge, Link.

By the time she got there, he was sitting there, pacing back and forth on the platform, obviously waiting. He spotted her, and a grin lit his face. "Hey, good job," he said, pointing at the monkey beside her. Said monkey sniffed and approached his sister, who promptly tackled him with a hug.

"Oh big brother, I'm so glad you're alright and I knew that the fox could get you out and the human over there found our other two brothers and—" Another monkey appeared beside them and pried flower-monkey away from her brother.

"Let's go," he said stoically before turning and scampering up to the main door. The other three monkeys nodded, and they went through, the last one beckoning to Link. Link nodded and followed, Jack a few steps behind him.

She paused at the sight of the large ravine. "Whoa," she said, having a slight feeling of vertigo as she looked down.

"You stay here," Flower-monkey told Jack, before the four of them climbed out onto a thin rope spanning the gorge. They grabbed it with their feet and swung down, so that they were upside down as they swung back and forth. Flower-monkey held out her hands to Link.

Link swallowed, braced himself, and jumped.

Jack let out a shrill scream as Link swung himself across the ravine, the only thing keeping him alive being his grip on the monkeys' hands and their ability to swing him across. After less than a minute, however, Link made it to the other side, causing Jack to relax. She watched as he went through another door, and several minutes later, she jumped as a white baboon of sorts leapt out of the area from a small window, howling and clutching its bottom the whole while.

She saw Link exit out of another doorway, and soon enough, he was standing beside her again. He nodded at her, and she followed him through the rest of the temple, watching as he threw a new boomerang at several monsters, ropes, and little switches that turned whenever the boomerang hit it. It was also useful for dousing fires (not that Jack appreciated it; she liked the light), as well as tossing monsters into the water, where they would drown.

Finally, they reached a large and exquisite door. Link was breathing a little heavily, but he adjusted his stance, so that his back was straight and his fingers' grip was tight on the blade.

Jack, however, looked like she had seen better days. Her fur was dripping, there was mud clinging to the lower portions of her legs, and she openly panted, weary and exhausted. It wasn't everyday that a group of chimps teamed up to toss one into a lake.

"Cheer up," Link advised, only to quiet when Jack turned her glare on him. He shrugged and faced the door again. "Well, here goes nothing," he said, and he pushed the door open.

* * *

**D3ath: OMG SO MANY PAGES!!! This took forever to write :)**

**(1): The Sympathetic system is a part of the nervous system that controls your flight/fight instinct when confronted with a dangerous situation. In Jack's case, she's feeling the adrenaline and she's aware of the fight changes that her body has made (she learned this all in her Psychology class).  
**

**Thanks for reading guys, sorry about the long chapter! Hope you guys enjoy it, and please review!**


	3. How to Save a Life

**D3ath: Sorry for the slightly long wait! School reared its ugly head, and I battled it with steel and fire until we settled on a compromise.  
**

**Thanks to: **_**cookie2718**_** and **_**Danyeda Goofy Panterita**_

**Disclaimer: I completely forgot to put one in. I no own. That also applies to previous and upcoming chapters.

* * *

**

**Chapter 3**

The room they stepped in was bathed in total silence, save for the small splashing that a nearby, decent-sized pond made. Jack studied the area around her. There was an ominous sense of foreboding that she couldn't deny, trails of ivy climbing up the walls, and there were several patches of rotting and dying grass on the green-covered floor. The walls were stone, with two ledges on opposite sides of the room. Jack, her fur bristling, crouched down to study the dead spots of grass. She prodded it, frowning when it crumbled under her touch.

"That isn't normal," she mumbled, still staring at the spot. It was then she noticed something strange; not only was the grass black, but there was fumes rising from it. She raised an eyebrow, momentarily contemplating it before she remembered something she had learned in biology a few years back.

"_Now, poisons come in several different forms, but they can be placed into two different general categories, such as venoms and toxins. Can anyone give me an example of venom?" A lean, thin-faced man leaned against his desk, searching the rows of freshman for someone that would answer. He smiled a little as he spotted a raised hand. "Ellis?"_

_A freckle-faced adolescent with thick glasses shifted a little hesitantly. "Umm…snakes?" Jacqueline, who sat two seats down from him, wrinkled her nose in annoyance as he continued on. "Like King Snakes?"_

"_King Snakes aren't poisonous, stupid," a girl next to Jack muttered. Ellis shot her a glare and sank down into his seat, slightly putout._

"_He's partially right, and come speak to me after class, Katie," the biology teacher, Mr. Davis, said without missing a beat. Katie sat up in her chair with indignation, before scowling and sitting back, ignoring the smirk on the boy's face when he glanced at her._

"_Some snakes are venomous, but as Katie said, King Snakes aren't particularly poisonous. However, Spitting Cobras and Rattlesnakes come to mind," the man said, grinning. "I myself have had the chance to milk a Copperhead for an antidote once._

"_Now, the term venom stands for a dangerous substance that _has to be injected _for any real harm to occur, Kent," he said, nodding at the surprised look on a nearby boy's face. "However, despite venom being a type of poison, there are different elements that don't fit this certain category. Someone give me an example."_

"_Poison Ivy isn't injected," a girl said, gesturing to her legs. The two students beside her noticeably scooted away, and she glowered at them. "I don't have it _now_! Sheesh." She folded her arms and huffed. "I had it last summer."_

"_Eww," another girl said, making a face. The first one gave the second the universal one-fingered sign of contempt. _

"_Danielle, detention with me after school," Mr. Davis said with a small sigh, rubbing his temple. Jack didn't blame him. Five classes with only freshman had to get frustrating. "Anyways, you're right. You don't inject Poison Ivy. While it's called Poison Ivy for a reason, it only releases a small amount of poison upon contact, and only leads to blisters and minor swellings. However, there are several other plants that release more dangerous substances onto the skin…"_

She jerked back, just as the pond began to bubble. "Link, get back!" she shouted frantically, her hazel eyes fixed on the water as it began to darken. It slowly began to turn into a dark purple color, and she began to panic as the bubbling intensified.

Link, who was standing by the water's edge, leapt back with his sword drawn in one fluid movement. His shield appeared in his hand, and he backed away grimly as the water began to release toxic fumes into the air.

Her nose told Jack immediately that the fumes were not good. "Oh no," she muttered, now so far back that she was pressed against the far wall. "This isn't good…" She could almost imagine the _Jaws_ theme playing in the background.

"We're doomed," she moaned.

Link cursed as a two large, vine-like plants burst from the water, their heads swaying as the monsters revealed slightly purple, poisonous fangs. They were fairly large, but not too big for plants. The vines that functioned as their necks swayed back and forth, covered in thorns. Blue tongues hung out, slithering back and forth as acidic spit dripped down to hit the water with a sizzling hiss.

Link paused for a moment, studying the plant briefly. "This isn't too bad," he commented lightly, easily side-stepping as one took a snap at him.

"Are you kidding me?!" Jack screeched, her fur standing upright. She could hardly believe that this mutated plant wasn't "too bad." "That damn thing's bigger than the _oak_ _tree_ in my backyard!!"

Link smirked when spotted a small bomb-like spider at the edge of the cavern. He quickly drew out his boomerang, ducked under a lunge from one of the heads, and threw it, a gust of wind rushing forth to snag the bombling and toss it into one of the plants' waiting mouth. The monster let out a small snarl and swallowed it as the boomerang thudded back into Link's outstretched hand.

Jack could only watch wide-eyed as the monster let out a strangled shriek, blood mixed with poison dripping out of its mouth. Its tongue flew across the room, and Jack winced as it landed near her. "That's…disgusting…" she said faintly, staring at the appendage with nausea. She flinched when Link repeated the technique on the other head, and she fought the urge to throw up as she watched.

Finally, the monsters let out a groan, sinking beneath the water to treat its injuries.

Link let out a sigh with a smile, sheathing his blade. He turned his back to the water and wiped sweaty bangs out from his face. "That was easy."

Jack slowly unpeeled herself from the wall. "Holy shit," she breathed, her legs shaking a little as she stepped forward. Despite the threat gone, however, her hackles refused to go down, giving her an uneasy, sick feeling in her gut. She studied a nearby patch of black grass again.

'_What made it? The monsters never seemed to spout any sort of acidic substance…SHIT!!'_ Her eyes widened in understanding, and she saw a creature loom up behind Link, the first two heads grinning maliciously as a third head, extremely larger than the other two, licked its lips. "Shit shit shit shit…" Who would've known that the two heads were connected to one bigger head?

Link, noticing the shadow, spun and tried to draw his sword. However, his fingers slipped, and he cursed as he fumbled for the blade.

"MOVE!!" Jack threw herself out of her stupor, sprinting over to the green-clad teen. She didn't even know what she was doing. Her body was reacting on its own, and her heart hammered in her chest as she watched the biggest head lunge.

She threw herself forward.

Link let out an undignified squawk as he toppled over backwards, his legs flying out from under him. Jack hissed as one of his boots collided with the side of her head, but she skidded to a stop, her legs now feeling as if they were jelly. She panted and looked up, finding herself face-to-face with the open maw of the plant.

She gulped, and let out a scream.

Link scrambled to his feet as the boss's jaws closed around Jack's hind legs while she tried to run away. She let out a high-pitched yelp, and Link caught a glimpse of fear and pain in her wide hazel eyes. "Dammit!" Link swore, and he drew his slingshot, taking an aim at the biggest head, only to skip away when one of the smaller heads took a bite at him.

The monster shook Jack back and forth like a rag doll, and she screamed as a loud snap echoed through the room. Link winced, and chewed his lip worriedly. What was he going to do…His eye then focused on one of the ledges, and he nodded grimly, pulling out his boomerang.

Jack's mind was a haze of pain, and dimly, she spotted a white baboon swing past her on a vine, toting a bombling. _'What…?'_ she thought as a boomerang flew past her. The monster holding her let out a screech, and dropped the fox down onto the burn-covered grass. She whimpered as her legs landed at a funny angle, and a hand grabbed her, pulling her away to the far wall.

"Stay here," Link's voice told her, and she watched dizzily as the green-clad teen hurried back out, throwing his boomerang at the baboon.

It missed.

He swore and rolled out of the line of fire as the big head spewed a fountain of acid, one of the smaller heads catching onto his leg. "Ow!" he drew his sword and sliced at it. It let out a roar and pulled back, grinning a little as poison dripped from its fangs. Link's eyes widened as he realized the situation he put himself in. "Shit," he muttered, eyeing the bite. There wasn't any change from poison, but he needed to finish this, and fast.

Midna sprang up beside him. "Link!! The big one has an eye in the middle of its mouth!" she said, pointing.

Link looked and scowled. "How the hell am I supposed to get it?" he asked, and Midna shrugged.

"I dunno, get creative," she offered, before ducking down into his shadow. Link ducked under a bite and slashed up, neatly severing the small head that attacked him.

"One down," he muttered, glancing at his leg. It was starting to hurt a little now, and it felt like the whole area was getting hot.

The baboon, the very same one he had fought earlier for the boomerang he now possessed, swung by, motioning earnestly to him and carrying another bombling. Link smiled grimly, and threw the boomerang, using it to guide the explosive into the mouth of the second small head.

The second one let out a roar as the bombling connected with its face, detonating upon impact. Blood splattered against the ground, and Link grimaced in distaste as he focused on the final head.

The monster let out a roar of agony as a third bombling collided with it, and as it shook off the blow, it focused on Link with a low snarl. Link swallowed and fell into a fighting stance.

The carnivorous plant struck forward with deadly swiftness, one of its fangs sinking into his arm. However, the monster failed to notice Link's sword swinging up from the side, and it let out a snarl of pain as the steel sank into its plant-like flesh.

Link hissed as acid landed on his cheek, and swung his foot up, slamming his heel into the monster's nose.

The large plant let out a screech, and pulled back, its eye hanging out. That's when Link was struck with sudden inspiration. Swiftly, he threw his boomerang, and grinned in approval as the boomerang caught the eye, pulling it back towards him. He gripped his sword in anticipation.

As soon as the eye was within striking range, he struck, his blade sinking into the eye as the monster screeched. He grabbed his boomerang and yanked his sword back out, leaping backwards as the monster crashed down in front of him, writhing and screaming. Link breathed out a sigh of relief as it stiffened and turned black. It was dead.

The area began to change rapidly, purple acid clearing up to display crystal-clear water and fish. The black patches of grass disappeared, and the whole area lit up as plants seemed to grow at a furious pace, vines sneaking up towards the ceiling of the room.

Link jumped as the blackened monster exploded into thousands of pieces, and he watched in fascination as the fragments all came together to form a strange object. He swallowed and approached the floating fused shadow, reaching up to touch it…

Midna appeared beside him, snatching it with her hair before he could so far as touch it. She giggled. "Well done! That's what I was looking for-a Fused Shadow. It's what the light spirit called dark power…Do you remember what the light spirit said? About how you had to match the power of the king of shadows?" Link nodded, opening his mouth, but Midna cut him off. "Could it really be so easy? Is that all there is to it?" She giggled again, but Link caught the smallest flash of a frown before her attitude changed. "There's a total of three fused shadows," she said, now serious. "I think the other light spirits have the rest…"

There was a pause before the shadow-imp shrugged. "If you want to know exactly what fused shadows are…Well, maybe I'll tell you if you find the other two." She grinned. "So I guess you better do your best to find them, huh? So let's not waste any more time here when we could be looking for the other two. And besides, aren't you poisoned?"

"Huh?" Link blinked as he suddenly remembered his leg. He shook it, frowning. It was beginning to swell tremendously, and pain was starting to creep up his leg. "Let's go," he said, and he limped over to where Jack was lying. She had passed out, and mutely, he lifted her up and carried her over to the portal that Midna had summoned, closing his eyes as his body fragmented down and flew apart…

* * *

Jack groaned as she opened her eyes. Everything around her was blurry, but she could make out light coming from a fire and a large figure sitting across from her. She blinked and looked around. It was dark out, but she saw light reflecting off of a nearby body of water.

She stared at it, confused. _'Where…where am I…?'_ She looked at the fire, only to yelp and scramble back as Link's face swam into view.

"Hey, she's awake," he said cheerfully, holding out a few strips of jerky to her. "We had to put you in Faron's Spring in order to heal you; I thought we didn't make it in time." He tilted his head, the smallest of frowns appearing on his face. "You were injected with a lot of poison; we thought you were going to die."

"_You_ thought," Midna corrected from nearby. She was floating off to the side, stretched out lazily.

Link shrugged. "Well, thanks for earlier," he said, and Jack blinked at him, now thoroughly confused.

"What for?" she asked, but Link only handed her the strips of jerky, following Midna's example and lying down.

He lay there while Jack ate, and he smiled a little as he stared up at the stars. "You really understand me, right?" he asked, and startled, Jack nodded. He glanced at her. "The reason why I ask that is because some animals don't understand humans. They can understand a few words, such as "sit" or "no", or they don't comprehend us at all. But you understand me, right? Everything I say?" Jack remained silent, and he sat up, poking some embers back to life with a stick.

"Well, I don't know what you're aiming at, following us, but I'm not complaining," Link said, lying back down. He was asleep within minutes, and Jack stared at him in shock and surprise.

"I need to think," she mumbled, getting up and stalking over to the spring. She sat down on the small beach, running over everything that had occurred so far.

"This has to be some sort of dream," she said under her breath, her hazel eyes narrowed. "More than half of this stuff is impossible. People can't turn into foxes randomly, nor does magic exist. I don't even know how it's possible for me to be here…" She glanced back at her sleeping companions. "Hopefully, I'll wake up, and it'll be just a dream…" she yawned and curled up where she sat, eventually drifting off to sleep.

She didn't even notice the amber eye that watched her.

* * *

Jack grumbled to herself as she followed after Link. It was dawn, with the sun barely peeking over the top of the trees, and Jack was not a happy camper.

"I want my sleep," she growled, but her complaint fell upon deaf ears as they continued to make their way through the undergrowth. "Seriously, this is fucking ridiculous. What the hell possessed you to go tramping through some god-forsaken forest at the crack of dawn? Not to mention you smell. Bad." She took a sniff at herself and winced. "Ugh. So do I.."

This monologue continued on until nearly two days later, when they reached the edge of the woods. Jack was sore by now, her limbs aching from all of the traveling.

"I'm out of shape," she groaned, flopping forward onto the ground. However, she was forced to get back to her feet as Link began to walk out onto an open plain. "Bastard, wait up!" She glowered as she followed after him, but her mood lifted a little as she stepped out of the woods and got a good look at the rolling plains of Hyrule Fields. "Holy…" she said, staring at the sight, "it never ends…"

Hazel eyes roved over gold grass and hills in awe, and as she lifted her head up, she was treated with the pleasant view of a bright blue sky and white clouds. There were small landmarks, such as a small river with a bridge, a few trees, but other than that, it was wide open.

"I feel like I'm in Oklahoma or something," she said, drinking in the sight. However, as she looked to the west, there was a large black barrier that shimmered with orange. Looking around, she noticed that it didn't lay only in the west, but up north too. She frowned. "What is that?" she asked, glancing up at Link, but he didn't respond. Instead, he only frowned as he spotted the barrier.

"Looks like Kakariko's our next destination," she heard him mutter, and Jack's tail drooped as he began to walk again.

"Goddammit!" she growled, before following again.

Once the initial thrill of seeing the fields disappeared, they were actually quite boring. There was almost nothing to see, save for the occasional hill, rock, tree or goblin (she looked away every time Link killed one, feeling sick). However, after nearly three days of traveling, they were greeted with an unusual sight.

"HEEEEEEY!!' Jack jumped and cursed as a man ran up to them. He wore a red hat on his head, a white, spandex-like outfit that cut off above the knees. He carried a large red backpack, and a flag hung above it, declaring that he was the postman. Jack's eye twitched.

He stopped before them, panting slightly. "Go no further! There is a black wall ahead that blocks the way! I thought I would deliver a few letters, but it seems impossible…" He straightened and held out a hand to Link. "I am the honorable and dependable letter carrier known to some as…" he paused for dramatic effect, "the postman."

"Link," Link said shortly, his eye also twitching.

The postman handed Link a letter cheerily. "Now that I have introduced myself, please! Take this letter and read it at your leisure! Well, my business is concluded! Onward to mail!" He saluted comically and ran away, his flag fluttering behind him. He left the two of them standing there blankly, with Link still clutching the letter. Frowning, Link opened the letter, only to snort aloud as he read its contents.

"_If I have a letter for you, I will approach you at high speed! Please do not flee!"_

"Dumbass," Jack said, rolling her eyes after Link read the letter.

* * *

After another day of travel, they finally reached the black barrier.

Jack stared up at the barrier before her, a feeling of unease stirring in her gut. Her fur was tingling, and her hackles were raised as she approached the strange magic. Her skin seemed to crackle, her senses buzzed, and her eyes watered.

Link also squinted, the sheer intensity of the magic making his eyes sting. Midna appeared beside him, seemingly unaffected by the magic. "Hey, it was much closer than I thought," she said cheerfully, grinning. "You remember what this is, right?" she asked Link, and he peered at it, wiping his eyes.

"Yeah…Twilight barrier," he said.

Midna glanced at the barrier. "If you set foot in there, you might be a wolf again for quite some time…"

"What?" Jack's head snapped to the blonde, but he ignored her.

"Well, at least as long as it takes you to save the light of Eldin from the Twilight, anyway…" Midna added, shrugging dismissively. "So, shall we try to go see the Light Spirit Eldin?" she giggled. "Want me to let you into the twilight?"

Link nodded, and she floated through the barrier. Swiftly, he reached down, and scooped Jack up into his arms, an apologetic expression on his face at her startled bark. His facial expression did change, however, when she started to struggle.

"Let me down!!" she snarled, but he only gripped her tighter.

"Calm down," he said, wincing when her jaws fastened on his arm. "You can't get through otherwise." He didn't know what he was doing. In the back of his mind, a small voice told him _'She'll just turn into a spirit, so there's no point in bringing her!'_ Despite that, though, he had a feeling that she wouldn't. He didn't know why, but he felt like he should bring her along, just in case.

A large, orange hand shot though the barrier and plucked them off the ground. Jack let out a yelp, and her struggles increased as the hand lifted them into the air.

"Calm down!" Link ordered, irritated as she clawed and bit. "St—"

The hand dragged them through the barrier.

Pain shot through Jack like millions of white-hot needles. She screamed aloud in pain, and she felt Link's grasp on her loosen as they both tumbled to the ground. Her senses were pounding, her body felt like it was on fire, and her brain felt like it had melted.

'_I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die…'_ her mind, despite the pain, repeated over and over. She curled up where she lay, and her body shook with pain.

A cool finger touched her forehead, and Jack felt the pain diminish. A cool hand then replaced the finger, and it stroked her head, soothing the pain.

"_Be strong, little one,"_ Fayore's voice whispered in her ear. _"You're not alone in this."_

'_But I am,' _Jack thought immediately before she could stop herself. However, despite the retort, Jack heard a chuckle.

"_Not as you think. Good luck, little one,"_ Fayore said, and Jacqueline nodded, able to stand on her own feet again.

"Huh, so it was a good idea to bring you here, then," she heard Link say from behind her. She spun around, and came face-to-face with a massive wolf. He had black, almost green streaks in his fur, and he had a small earring hanging from one of his furred ears as blue eyes stared down at her. A manacle with a broken chain was wrapped around his front paw, and he grinned at her. "Usually, normal creatures would just turn into spirits, but you didn't. You're not some sort of magical being, are you?" He leaned forward, and Jack scowled.

"As magical as that piece of grass, you bastard," she snapped back. He drew back, surprised. "What the hell was your problem, bringing me through?" she demanded. Link gaped at her as she continued on. "That hurt like hell!" she shivered a little, and Link stared down at her.

"Sorry," he said, and before Jack could say more, Midna landed on top of the wolf, causing Link to glance back at her and growl. Jack frowned. She looked different, for instead of smoky gray and black patterns, Midna had teal markings covering her. Her hair was a bright orange, and she seemed to gain a more solid form than her shadow-self.

Midna stretched. "That's a good boy!" she said, displaying sharp teeth in a grin. "Now, you need to listen to what I say from now on!" Jack frowned at the imp's attitude.

'_Who died and made her queen?'_ She thought as Midna continued to speak.

"Ahh, look! How lovely! The black clouds of Twilight are so fetching today…" Jack blinked and looked up, now noticing the change in her environment. The sky was a pale orange, with little black flecks of magic hovering in the air. Overall, it wasn't that different, but the lighting caused Jack to shiver. It was like she was in some sort of graveyard. "I feel so much more at ease here…and you look so much better like this than in those dusty old clothes anyway," Midna giggled. She nudged Link's ribs with her knees. "So, let's get going!"

"Bitch," Jack muttered, and Link glanced at her, startled as they began to make their way down the path.

"You don't like her?" he asked, surprised, and Jack scoffed.

"The feeling's mutual," she replied. "Now, how the hell'd you end up like that?"

"The Twilight magic causes me to change forms," Link explained. At her blank expression, he sighed. "You don't know what Twilight is, do you?"

"A cheesy, vampire romance novel?" she suggested. At his confused glance, she rolled her eyes. "Never mind, I don't. Explain."

"There's another world connected to this one called the Twilight," Link said, glancing up at the sky. "Actually, it only recently made itself known. We don't know how long it's been there, but the king of Twilight, Zant, started a war against our world. He's been trying to take over our country ever since, and this is what you see today. We're in the Twilight, and we're trying to stop him by finding a light spirit and restoring light back to the different regions."

They lapsed into silence after that, before they stumbled across something in the middle of the path. It was a backpack.

Jack looked at Link in disgust as he sniffed at the backpack. "You don't find that weird at all?" she demanded. He looked up at her in surprise.

"Find what weird?" he asked.

"Going around, sniffing things," she replied, frowning. He tilted his head.

"Why would I find that weird? It's not that bad," Link said, turning back to the backpack. "Why do _you_ find it weird?"

Jack shut her mouth, unable to answer. Meanwhile, she mentally cursed the goddesses for the conditions of their 'agreement'. _'Dammit, I wish I had never agreed to it…but then again, I'd be dead by now,'_ she thought, swallowing as flashes of her suicide appeared in her mind's eye. She shook her head vigorously before facing Link.

He was standing upright, watching her with a curious eye. "Is something wrong?" he asked, and she sat, glowering at him.

"No. What do you want?" she demanded, and he frowned.

"We're following this scent," he said after a moment, turning away from her and heading down the road, sniffing the entire way. "It'll lead us to the kids."

"What kids?" Jack asked crossly, following after him.

"The kids of my village," he replied shortly, before concentrating on the task set before him.

Jack only could only shake her head in disgust.

* * *

He honestly didn't know what to think of her. Just from one or two conversations, he felt like he had already gotten a good grasp on what his companion was like. Rude. Cynical. Ungrateful. He was starting to wish he didn't invite her to join him.

They were camped under a small tree, where there was enough room for them while Midna kept watch. Jack had already fallen asleep after complaining under her breath how sore she was, and Link was mulling over some thoughts before he joined her. She also had a large vocabulary, he thought wryly, recalling a moment when she tripped over a tree root. He didn't even know there was that many swear words in the Hylian language.

'_She acts like a rebellious teenager,_' he thought absently, before recalling an image of a crying fox in the middle of Faron woods. _'Or maybe something happened to make her that way?'_

His ears perked up when he heard a soft moaning sound coming form the fox nearby, and he rose to his feet, frowning. She trembled, and her ears flattened against her skull as began to cry. Tentatively, Link prodded her with his paw. "Hey, wake up…" he murmured, studying her. Her fur began to bristle, and her tail swung back and forth frantically. He tensed, ready should she take a snap at him. "Wake up. Wake up!" When she didn't respond, he decided to resort to drastic measures. He spotted a small stream nearby, and he nodded in determination.

Jack spluttered and gasped when she hit a body of water. She rose to her feet, soaking wet and angry. "What the hell?!" she raged, glaring at the wolf before her. "What the fuck is your problem?!"

"You were having a nightmare," Link replied calmly, watching her with a wary eye.

She snarled and spat, shaking herself off before marching back to the tree. "Well, thanks for nothing! I can handle it myself!"

"Didn't seem like it," Link snapped back, now growing angry. "I just wanted to help."

"Well, if your so-called "help" involved throwing me into the stream, then no thanks!" she growled back, her wet fur bristling.

"So you'd rather I left you with your nightmares, then?" Link challenged, his lips curling back to reveal his fangs.

"If it was my only connection to home then yes!!" Jack bellowed, her hazel eyes flashing with anger, pain, and homesickness. "I don't care if they're nightmares!!" He ears were flat against her skull, and her tail swung back and forth in agitation.

Link faltered. This, he was not expecting. "Your…home?" he repeated blankly, and she hissed at him.

"I didn't crawl out from under a rock," she sneered, turning. "Dumbass."

"So your home gives you nightmares?" Jack stopped short at Link's quiet statement.

"Yes…" she whispered, all the fight in her gone now. Her shoulders sagged, and her tail drooped.

"Why?"

"Because everything went wrong," she replied back, before curling up in her spot. Link didn't reply to her statement, but he padded over to where she lay, taking a seat beside her.

"…Would you like to talk about it?" he suggested.

"No," she said immediately, staring out at the twilight-covered fields.

"…You didn't lose any kits, did you?" Link asked. Jack shook her head. "But you lost somebody."

"My mother," she said, almost inaudible.

Link fell silent for a moment before sighing. "Me too."

* * *

**D3ath: Well, hope you guys like this chapter. Took me forever to write it. Oh, and I meant to say this for the last chapter, but thank you, Songbird of the End, for beta-ing. I'm forever grateful :)**

**Moral of the day: do not say, "That was easy". It's pretty much a self-assured jinx. **


	4. Well Enough Alone

**D3ath: Okay, I admit it. I'm a slacker. A procrastinator. Lazy. I even slacked off on studying for my final exams. Well, HOORAY FOR WINTER BREAK!!**

**Thanks to:**_** ConGie and Danyeda Goofy Panterita**_**!

* * *

**

**Chapter 4**

After the small conversation they had last night, things began to get awkward. If he tried to talk to her, she'd spit something rude in reply, and Link didn't exactly have much expertise in the 'witty comeback' arena.

So he left her alone.

Glancing back, he briefly caught a glimpse of a miserable fox before the expression was replaced with a glare so scathing that it could've burned a hole right through him. "What do you want, dickhead?" Jack spat, and he quickly shook his head, turning his attention back to the scent they were following.

'_She really needs to lighten up,_' Link thought mentally as he padded down the dirt road. Midna, on his back, stretched and yawned, revealing small fangs before settling back down onto Link's back.

"Hey, dog, when are we going to get there?" she asked lazily, and Link rolled his eyes in response. "I'm getting bored."

"You could jump into a vat of hydrochloric acid," **(1)** Jack suggested, scowling. Link gave her a blank stare. _'What the hell is that?'_ He watched her discreetly out of the corner of his eye. She looked like she didn't get much sleep from the night before, and looked alarmingly murderous that morning—he saw her yawn, and stopped in his tracks.

She nearly bumped into him. "Watch where you're going!" she hissed.

Link ignored her. "I think we should take a break," he suggested. "We've been going all morning." Jack stopped and stared blearily at him for a moment before she practically collapsed on her feet, groaning slightly.

Link sat down nearby, dismissing Midna's yelp of protest as she tumbled off his back. "You look tired."

"Shut it, asswipe," Jack shot back immediately, wincing slightly as she stretched. "God, I'm sore…" she complained. "I haven't walked this much in ages…"

"I could carry you, if you'd like," Link offered.

"No." The answer came back immediately without any hesitation and feeling. Link looked over at Jack, only to meet a fierce, stubborn glare. She grimaced slightly, rolling her shoulders in an attempt to alleviate the pain. Her nose crinkled in distaste. "I don't like being carried or touched."

Okay, so that explained her furious reaction last night when she woke up in the stream, and the snaps at his hand every time he tried to pet her. Link nodded wordlessly before following her example and settling down. A stray thought crossed his mind, and he blinked. "Hey, I don't know your name."

"Why do you care?" Jack retorted, grumpy from her deprivation of sleep and currently glaring at the sun in all of its afternoon glory. Well, at its general area. She wasn't stupid enough to glare directly at it; she liked her eyes just the way they were.

Link raised an eyebrow, crossing his front paws as Midna settled against his side. "Because we're probably going to be traveling for a while, and the fact that you know mine."

"So?"

Link growled impatiently. "I can't go around and say "hey you" all the time."

"Yeah you could." Jack mentally leered at Link's apparently frustration.

"Fine, I'll call you Pansy, then," he snapped in response, and Jack's jaw dropped indignantly.

'_Oh, HELL NAW! It's bad enough for my _cat_ to be called that, but I absolutely REFUSE for that to be me!'_

"No!" she protested angrily, glaring at the now-smirking wolf.

"You left me no other choice," he tried to reply solemnly, but the image was ruined with his smirk. Jack replied with a few choice words, fully exercising her vocabulary. He shook his head. "That's not very nice."

"I refuse to be called _that_," Jack hissed in response.

"Why? I think it fits you perfectly."

"Hell no!"

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to call you, then?" Link asked, now getting angry again. "You won't tell me your nam—"

"Jack."

"Huh?" Link looked over at the small canine, his ears twitching at the unexpected answer.

"It's Jack," she muttered, and a slow, wolfish grin broke out onto his muzzle.

"Alright, then, why are you coming with us, Jack?" he asked, tilting his head. Jack sniffed in annoyance at the over-sweet tone Link used.

"Because," she replied stubbornly. Link sighed and rolled his eyes. She was very difficult to get along with, and he was starting to wonder if she had anyone that was actually willing to put up with her.

'_I suppose I'm the only one, then,' _he mused. "Because why?" Honestly, he felt like he was dealing with a child.

"I have nowhere else to go," Jack said quietly, not looking at him. Link paused for a moment in surprise before mentally berating himself. Goddesses, he was an idiot, wasn't he? Her own mother just died a while ago, so why else would she come with him?

"Forget it," Jack muttered, standing up and groaning. "Let's just go." She began to walk off.

Link cleared his throat. "Uh, Jack? Wrong way." He watched the red fox pause in her step before cursing colorfully and marching the other way. He shook his head. She was near impossible to handle.

* * *

"What the fuck is this?!" Link winced slightly as Jack stared at the wide gorge, cursing and spitting. "What the hell happened to the bridge?!"

Link groaned. "I bet it's that bridge all the way back in North Faron Woods."

Jack immediately rounded on him, her hazel eyes blazing. "We need to walk all the way _back_?!" she hissed, and Link shrugged.

"Well, there's no way we'll be able to carry it, and I know no other way to Kakariko village," he responded as calmly as he could, and his ears flattened as Jack bit out a particularly foul curse.

"Hmm, looks like we'll have to teleport to get it," Midna giggled. "How about we leave foxy here while we go get it?" And without further ado, Midna dissolved into millions of black particles, Link following her example a moment later with a yelp. Within moments, they were both gone.

Jack mentally sighed in relief. She was grateful to receive any kind of break from the two, even if it was a short amount of time. She really needed to sit down, and think some things through.

First of all, the assassinations she was supposed to stop. The first one wasn't too bad, if one didn't count the amount of blood and screaming that had occurred during said assassination. But there was a troubling issue.

"How the hell am I supposed to fight?" Jack asked out loud, fully expecting an answer from the goddesses. "In fantasy things like these, aren't you supposed to, you know, give me mystical powers or something? In order to fight off the fucking monsters?"

She did get an answer, but it wasn't one that she was pleased with. In fact, it didn't answer her question at all. It was just a quiet chuckle in the back of her head, from which she suspected was Farore.

"Fine, fine! I see how it is!" Jack scowled, trying to fold her arms and failing. Finally, she gave up, and sat down onto the dusty road, her expression saddening. "God, how the hell am I supposed to keep up with all of this crap?" she sighed, using her tail to rub her forehead. "_Why_ the hell do I have to go through all of this crap?" After another moment, she stood, and began pacing. "I'm starting to have second-guesses about this so-called mission," she growled to herself. "How the hell am I supposed to defend someone that's taller than me, and more physically able to use a sword than I am with my stupid claws?! If I were human and had a stick, I'd be able to do a lot more than just growl!"

As Jack continued to grumble to herself, she was interrupted by a large crash; namely, the missing piece of the bridge materializing in thin air and landing with a thud. She stepped up to the bridge, sniffing disapprovingly as Link and Midna formed in the middle of the bridge. "It's about time."

"Sorry," Link drawled, looking a little irritated. "It took us a while to find it, and some monsters were guarding it."

"Well, let's go," Jack said, crossing the bridge without waiting for another excuse.

* * *

They traveled for the next day or so, with Jack muttering death threats to roots, rocks, and potholes while Link stoically ignored her.

"Look," Link said, suddenly stopping short and ducking behind a tree. Jack followed him, and together, they both looked out. Several feet away from them stood a gate, with a few monsters standing guard behind it. They were lax and careless, but Jack couldn't help but feel a shiver crawl down her spine. The gate itself was menacing, with spikes and skulls along the top. What looked like dried blood coated the sides, and overall looked very intimidating.

"Huh, what are they doing there?" Midna asked suspiciously, her amber eyes shining eerily in the dim lighting. "This looks like a pretty elaborate gate" Her eyes narrowed. "It seems like they're keeping something in…or out?" She shrugged, and studied the gate again. Her eyes fell upon a small hole under the gate. "Hmm, you should be able to get through if you dig underneath the gate." Link nodded, and beckoned silently to Jack with his tail, gesturing to keep quiet. Jack rolled her eyes as if to say, "I'm not _that_ stupid," and followed him, keeping to the shadows.

Link dug under the gate first, with Midna quickly following. Jack was about to do the same, when screams tore through the air, and the smell of blood hit her in the face like a sledgehammer. Her eyes widened, and she took a deep, shaky breath to steady herself. "It sounds like a massacre," she mumbled, her heart racing.

Link's face appeared before hers, peering through the gate's bars. "Hey, you okay?" She suppressed a gasp. His teeth were lined with blood (which he ungracefully spat out), and the white fur around his face was now tinged with scarlet and pink. "You don't look too good."

Jack swallowed, but shook her head, mutely crawling under the gate (she discovered that she didn't need to dig, being small enough just to slide underneath). However, she instantly regretted the action.

Her eyes widened as she focused on Midna. The little imp in question was using the one of the slain monsters as a sort of puppet, grinning as its head flopped back and forth. The legs were flying everywhere, and the arms hung limply as the Twili used her magic to toy with it. It didn't help that blood from its wounds was flying everywhere, landing on the walls and the ground.

That was it.

"_What the hell are you doing?!!"_ Jack shrieked, staring at the monster with a horrified expression on her face. Midna's head snapped towards her, surprised, but her grin slowly returned, only darker and more sinister.

"What's wrong? It's just a monster," Midna said, flicking a finger into the air. Black, glittering magic swirled around it, and turned into a small knife. She aimed the knife at the monster with almost unholy glee as she planned what to do with it next.

"Stop." Link's voice was cold and commanding, and both froze. He glared at Midna with icy blue eyes. "Drop it, and let's keep going."

Midna stared at him for a moment, before dispersing of the knife and shrugging. "Whatever," she said, getting the gist of his growls, and she dropped the monster unceremoniously into the dirt. "But next time, it'll be Zant, not that puny little beast, got it?" she said venomously, her eyes glittering. Link nodded, his face stony. He glanced at Jack, who was shaking where she stood, and he trotted behind her, nudging her forward with his nose. She stumbled, and began to walk, but her frightened gaze never left Midna.

"Let's go," he said, and he urged her forward.

Meanwhile, Jack's thoughts were swirling around in a chaotic mess, with flashes of her nightmares mixed in. She shuddered, and the monster's head lolling around on its shoulders appeared before her eyes for a split second before the screams of her brother resounded in her ears.

She took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. _'Breathe, just breathe…just ignore what happened, forget it…OH MY GOD THAT WAS THE SCARIEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!!!'

* * *

_

Link was trotting behind the fox, a cautious, worried frown on his face. From her body movement, it was as clear as day that what Midna did was frightening to her, and he could practically smell the fear rolling off of her in waves. He gritted his teeth. He should probably expect several wake-up calls in the middle of the night, in the form of a fox trapped in a nightmare.

He spotted the fox freeze in place before a rancid smell drifted past his nose. His eyes narrowed, and he darted forward, commanding Jack to remain there until he called for her. Midna leered at her devilishly before following after the wolf.

There was a moment of silence, and Jack paced there, anxiety building as she waited—

The most chilling, ear-splitting screech caused her to freeze in place, trembling more so than ever.

"Oh my God…" she breathed, collapsing in place and breathing heavily. She closed her eyes, and rocked back onto her haunches, her chest heaving. "Shit…"

Silence surrounded her as she sat there, trying to push back unwanted memories that had come with the screech. Her throat constricted, and she swallowed.

"I don't think I can do this alone…" she whispered, opening her eyes…

…Only to yelp when Nayru stood before her, a small smile on her face. The blue-haired goddesses seemed even more ethereal than the last time Jack had seen her, glowing softly in the dim twilight. Blue eyes gazed down upon her sadly, and she knelt down, cupping Jack's face in her hand.

"You will receive help," she said quietly, comforting the little fox. "Look for the archer. He has an unusual way with animals…" The sapphire-haired goddess stood, and slowly faded into the light, leaving the flummoxed red fox sitting there, gaping stupidly.

Jack blinked and shook her head, still surprised from Nayru's appearance. "Did that just happen?" she asked, slightly dazed, before she stood, willing her legs to stop shaking.

Slowly, she made her way down the dirt path, hesitating when she reached the edge of the village. The whole place put her on edge, and she didn't want to see where the terrible smell was coming from.

"Jack!" the fox jumped before swearing viciously, turning to face Link. He looked slightly relieved, and he had a strange container slung across his back. "Are you alright?" Slowly, Jack nodded, but that didn't seem to convince Link. "I want you to stay here, okay? Don't go further into the village." He turned and began to walk away, his footfalls soft on the dusty road.

"Why?" Jack asked, before she could stop herself.

Link paused, and glanced back, his blue eyes sad. "I don't think you'll be able to handle what's inside here," he said softly, but Jack's sharp ears picked it up. She swallowed heavily, and nodded, sitting back down.

After a moment, she got up, and began to pace again, muttering curses under her breath, just to keep her mind occupied.

After nearly an hour, a flash of light burst into existence, and Jack let out a high-pitched bark, stumbling slightly and closing her eyes.

Everything was sunny and bright when she opened them. The twilight was gone, the nightmarish shapes the shadows made didn't seem to exist anymore, and the sun was back into its original position, orange sky nonexistent.

She gaped, her mouth hanging open as she stared up at the now-bright blue sky. Shaking, she looked down at her paws, numb.

"Oh my god…it was like a nightmare…" she whispered, "and now it's over…"

* * *

Link let out a sigh, reveling in the feeling of being human again. He was never so grateful for his hands, fingers, and feet, and he was sure that he was going to appreciate them for the rest of his life.

He slowly turned his gaze onto the village and cringed internally. It was a mess, a few three or four bodies strewn across the area. He had discovered five more in his search for the Tears of Light, and all of them looked like they had been half-eaten.

After Jack's reaction and his fight with Zant's dark servants, he decided that it was better for the little fox to stay behind, out of harm's way. She just wasn't prepared for this sort of thing, and he assumed the recent death of her mother only made things worse.

A lot of the buildings were run-down and broken, with doors hanging off their hinges and parts of the roofs caved in. Luckily, the majority of the villagers survived, and were all currently residing in what he supposed was the Village Chief's house.

"Link?" Speaking of the Village Chief's house, Link faced it, smiling slightly when he saw Colin, Beth, Malo, and Talo standing at the doorway. A tall man with dark long hair and tan skin stood behind them, a crowd at his back and peering over his shoulder in curiosity.

"Hey guys," he said, and Talo burst out into laughter.

"See guys, see?! I _told_ you Link would save us!" All of the kids ran out, but, much to Link's disappointment, Talo roughly shoved Colin out of the way, knocking the young blond over and into the dirt.

"Talo…" he warned, but the energetic brunette ignored him, talking excitedly to the green-clad teen.

"You should have seen those monsters! They came out of nowhere, and—!!"

"You are the one from Ordon whom these children spoke of?" The children hushed as the village chief, a little girl, and two men approached Link, and Link nodded mutely in response. The chieftan held out his hand, and when Link took it, he smiled. "We are well met. I am Renado, Shaman and head of this village. And this…" One of the men, a short, slightly portly man with a welding mask, lifted up his mask hopefully, revealing glasses and a slightly goofy smile. Renado glanced at the man briefly before his lips thinned and he turned back to Link."…Is my daughter, Luda."

"Hello," Luda said cheerfully, waving. The man gaped at them both before scowling, slamming his mask back into place (earning a small yelp of pain in response) and heading down the road. The other male sniggered slightly as he watched his fellow village member leave.

"The beasts took us and left us to die, but Renado found us," Colin added, smiling when Link's blue eyes turned to him.

"Hmm, yes, at first I couldn't believe that they had come from so distant a place as the Ordona Province," Renado said, catching Link's attention again. Link grinned slightly.

"Well, I never expected to find myself all the way out here in the Eldin Province, sir," he said in response.

Colin shivered slightly. "Yeah…I--we don't remember much, though. All of a sudden, we were all captured, and until now, it's been…" Colin trailed off, shaking his head as he thought of what had happened.

"A nightmare," Malo finished, shuddering himself. The other kids nodded, and Talo blanched.

"Nightmares seem everywhere these days," Renado said slowly, shaking his head. "This village has recently seen its share of hardships. The dark beasts attacked, but even worse was the sudden and inexplicable change in the mountain-dwelling Goron tribe."

"Oh, yeah, I saw some earlier. He was grumbling about only watching out for humans and not being able to do anything else," Link said, rubbing his chin.

"Yes, they had long been our friends, but suddenly treated us as foes," Renado said, glancing up at a large mountain in the area. "Even now they refuse to permit us into their mines. It strains the limits of belief," he sighed, "to think that such a gentle and proud tribe could change so much."

"Maybe the mines were the cause of it, sir?" Link suggested, and Renado looked at him closely.

"Yes, that is the theory that I currently hold. Of course, I try and convince them to let us help, but they refuse."

"Annoyin' as hell," the other man said. He was in reality a teen, Link's age or possibly older. He had messy brown hair, a red bandana wrapped across his forehead, and green eyes. A bow almost as large as him was slung across his back, and a quiver of full arrows dangled carelessly off his shoulder. He nodded, his tanned face solemn as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his breeches. "Hey, I'm Tobias Gregson, just call me Toby."

Link nodded in return, before turning to look up at the large mountain beside the village.

"You said that there might be trouble in their mines?" Link mused, and at Renado's nod, he thought. "Maybe I can go speak to them, after I take the kids back to Ordon."

"What?!" The Ordonian children immediately began to protest, Talo being the loudest of them all.

"I don't want to leave all these people just to save ourselves!!" he said hotly. And loudly.

Link winced and rubbed at his ear as Talo went on, still at his highest volume.

"Come on, Link, can't you do something?" Beth whined, grabbing his hand and clasping it.

"You'd think you could go up to the mines right now and do something," Malo muttered. At this, Link's mouth flopped open indignantly.

"Hey!! Fine, if that's what you want, then—"

"Link." Everyone quieted and looked at Renado's daughter, Luda. She wore a serious expression on her face, and her brown eyes stared up at him unwaveringly. "Trying to go to the mines is very dangerous," she said calmly. "I'll be very sad to be separated from Collin and the others, but I know they must go. Please return them to their parents." Colin looked sad, but he was able to keep calm while the other children spluttered and protested.

Renado smiled, agreeing with his daughter. "I do not know what is in the Goron mines, but surely they will soon come to understand it, and right what is wrong." He fixed Link with a stern look. "Do not concern yourself with me, my son. You must flee this place as quickly as you can." The Shaman turned, and began to head back up to his house, assigning orders to the small crowd assembled there.

"Mica, Kaya, go and check up on our medical supplies. Jancar, go with them, just in case." Link watched as two women and a burly man nodded and headed out, the male gripping a large spear. "Scanor, I'm assigning you to burial duty." Link winced slightly as he thought of the bodies half-eaten and decaying. A tall man with bandages covering his face seemed to wear a similar expression, but simply grunted in response. "Select two others to go with you." The man nodded, and quickly picked out those he needed.

"Alright," Link said, turning his attention away from Renado and onto the disappointed children in front of him. "Go and get your things. We'll be heading out tomorrow after I get the supplies we need."

"Aww…" Talo complained, but the four of them began to trot back to Renado's house, shoulders slumping and feet dragging.

Toby chuckled. "Looks like they really don' want t' go."

"Really," Link said sarcastically. Toby raised his eyebrows, but ignored the small bit of sarcasm.

"Tobias." Both males looked up to find Renado looking over his shoulder at them. "Go check up on the livestock. If you find any still alive, bring them to the storage cave under my house." The lean, green-eyed brunette nodded, a smirk spreading across his face, and as Renado turned back to the dwindling crowd, he glanced at Link.

"Wanna help me round 'em up?" he asked, now grinning.

"Sure, why not?" Link said, but paused for a moment. "Hold on, I need to go get someone."

"Who?" Toby asked curiously, tilting his head.

"A companion of mine," Link replied cryptically. He turned, and began to head out of the village.

Toby followed him. "Why didn' he come with ya?" He looked around, frowning slightly as he didn't see anyone.

"_She_ was having a little bit of trouble. She saw some things she wasn't able to handle." Link replied, his blue eyes roving the ground before him. "Let's see…she's around here somewhere…ah, Jack!"

* * *

Jack had been brooding besides a small rock when Link called her name. She shot upright, surprised, before gaping at Link.

He was a human again, with his cheeky grin, blond hair, and bright blue eyes. He waved at her, and her mind was swirling as she approached him. _'No fair, no fair, NO FAIR! Why the hell does he get to become a human again?!_'

"Your companion's a fox?!" a brunette beside the blond exclaimed, a smile growing on his face, and Jack mentally groaned. "Nice!" he crouched down, and held out his hand. "My name's Toby, nice t' meetcha."

"Careful! She doesn't like any human contact…oh…" Link trailed off as he saw Jack nod at the teen and place her paw into his hand, which he shook enthusiastically. He watched the green-eyed teen curiously. "…How'd you do that? She nearly bit my hand off the first time I touched her."

"Ya just gotta approach them the right way," Toby grinned, dropping Jack's paw. "I'm good with animals."

'_Wait a minute…is this the help that Naryu said I'd receive?'_ Jack thought, frowning and fixing Toby with a scrutinizing hazel glare. "Are you an archer?" she asked suspiciously.

Toby's grin grew wider, and he tapped the bow and quiver slung across his back conspicuously, so that Link wouldn't notice (the blond was too busy gaping at Jack in a combination of astonishment and indignation to pay attention). Her eyes widened in surprise. "You can understand me?!"

Toby nodded minutely, still grinning.

Jack stared at him, speechless, before sitting down and shaking her head. "I can't believe this…" she mumbled, before breaking out into a smile. "Thank God!"

"Uh…don't you mean 'Thank the Goddesses'?" Toby asked, confused, and Link's attention switched to him.

"Huh?"

"Nothing," Toby said dismissively, his gaze still fixed on Jack. "Ya got an interestin' fox, Link."

"She's not mine. And her name's Jack," Link added.

"Well, do ya wanna help me round up the animals in the area?" Toby asked, grinning cheerfully. Both Link and Jack nodded, and Toby beamed. "Great! Link, can I borrow Jack, then? You can search this end of the village while we can search the other end." Link nodded, shot Jack an exasperated glance, and complied with Toby's request.

Toby turned to Jack. "Well, shall we?"

"Sure, whatever the hell floats your boat," Jack snorted in response, and Toby raised an eyebrow.

"Your vocabulary's a lot better than most animals I've met," he said, turning and making his way down to the far end of the village. Jack shrugged dismissively. "So, how'd ya get roped up with that guy?"

"I was assigned by the goddesses to guard him from assassinations," Jack replied, in an 'I-don't-give-a-shit-about-the-Goddesses'-orders-right-now' mood.

Toby stopped and stared. "Holy shit, really?" At Jack's scowl, he burst out laughing, which made the fox scowl even more. "How the hell does that work?! He's got weapons, _an'_ he's a lot bigger than ya! You're tiny!"

"Gee, thanks a lot, bastard," she replied sourly.

He waved his hand in a carefree manner. "No problem. But really, how do ya do that? Do ya actually know how t' fight?"

Jack's glower disappeared, only to be replaced with a slightly worried expression. "No. Last time, I only warned him, and he took care of it himself."

Toby's smile was dropped to make room for a more serious look. "So what if he's occupied, an' ya can't do anythin' 'bout it? An' he gets killed?"

Jack paled slightly. "Can we…not talk about killing and dying and all? I'd rather…"

He cast her a sympathetic look. "You lost family an' close friends?" At her surprised glance, he shrugged. "There's some folks in the village that's like that. We've had a few deaths in this village, an' we had to be careful when talkin' with their family members an' friends. Especially with the moms, when one of the kids came up dead…" He trailed off at her frightened grimace, and added, "Do ya want t' talk 'bout it?"

"No thanks," Jack immediately snapped in response, and the easygoing teen shrugged.

"Alright. But if the goddesses sent ya, I'd be willing t' help, an' listen," he said kindly. Jack nodded, her throat tightening. She felt like she was going to cry. "Alright!" the brunette exclaimed, his arm shooting out to point at a distant chicken. "A cucco! Let's get it!"

The cucco gave a startled squawk and darted underneath a nearby house. Toby pouted. "Aw, man, I don' want t' crawl under…" A thoughtful expression crossed his face, only to be replaced with a sly one as he looked down at Jack, an evil smile growing on his face.

Jack took wary step back, not liking the look Toby was giving her…

* * *

"I can't believe you're making me do this," Jack spat as she crawled under the house, swearing under her breath.

"Careful, or my ma will wash your mouth out with soap," Toby said cheekily, peering under the house. He was on his knees and hands, his green eyes glimmering with humor as he watched her crawl about. "An' besides, I'm too big. You're perfect for this kind o' thing."

"Gee, thanks," Jack snapped in return, already fed up. She darted behind the quivering cucco, and growled. "Boo."

The cucco jumped, and sped in Toby's direction. Jack snorted aloud. The expression on Toby's face went from a wry grin to shock and horror in a split second, before he received a clawing, terrified cucco in his face. Feathers drifted about, and he shrieked aloud, trying to get the bird off his face.

"Stop, stop, you're okay! Ow! Hey!" he cried as the cucco pecked his ear. He grabbed the smarting body part, and snatched the cucco off his face by grabbing its legs and dangling it upside down. "Alright, that's enough!"

Jack snickered. "Sucks for you."

He glared, and gave her the universal sign of contempt. "If I weren't holdin' this bozo right here, you'd be hangin'…from up there." He pointed, and Jack followed his gaze. He was pointing at the watchtower the village had, and it was nearly a hundred feet above the ground. "I bet you'd be screami—hey, isn't that Link?" They watched as the green-clad teen made his way down the street, walking past them without noticing them. The two blinked in surprise before following after him, Toby tossing the cucco behind him without a second thought.

The blond seemed to be deep in thought, and Toby let out a low whistle as Link turned onto the path leading up to Death Mountain. "Your friend's got a death wish on Death Mountain."

Jack rolled her eyes. "Ha ha, very punny," she said sarcastically, and Toby blinked before a grin split across his face.

"Ha, I didn' think o' that!"

Jack stared at him incredulously before contenting herself with shaking her head and muttering "ass" under her breath.

They followed Link up to the mountain, and Jack sucked in a breath as she saw him approach one of the Gorons guarding the path.

"Ah! No humans allowed!" the strange creature bellowed. "These lands ahead belong to the Goron tribe! The Elder said no humans may pass!" And with that, he curled into a ball, and began to spin at a high speed, aiming at Link. The blond drew his sword and shield.

Jack groaned. "He's doomed…"

* * *

**D3ath: So yeah, that's it. Jack's having a gradual mental breakdown, and don't worry, she's crack…eventually. And she's feeling a whole ton of self-pity right now, which really annoys the crap out of me. Is that normal? Creating a character that really annoys you? I hope so...**

**Thanks so much, Songbird of the End, for beta-ing!**

**(1): a really dangerous acid that can melt skin and the like. Probably one of the most dangerous out there (and thanks to Songbird on this little tidbit of information as well!)  
**

**Thanks for reading!  
**


	5. It Hurts

**D3ath: Alright, I'm back! I'm really sorry for the long wait. I have no excuse. So now, since I have a bruised tailbone and nothing else to do, I'm writing a new chapter. **

**Thanks to: Sparty the Bold and Lady Teldra, for reviewing and getting my butt in gear! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Jack and Toby watched as Link soared through the air. It was a pretty flight, but short-lived as he hit the ground with a dull thud and a pained grunt. Jack rolled her eyes.

"Idiot," she muttered, and Toby shrugged before moving to help the fallen hero back to his feet.

"Ouch," Link hissed as Toby pulled him upright, and he nodded gratefully to Toby. "Thanks," he said, and Toby grinned.

"No problem. So, what's gotten ya into investigatin' Death Mountain? There's a reason it's called that, ya know," the brunette said with a wry grin.

Link winced and straightened up with a pained intake of breath before replying. "We-I thought that if I talked with the Gorons peacefully, they would come down and help protect the village." Blue eyes narrowed as Link frowned up at the mountain. "But it seems like they've got problems of their own."

"Really?" Toby turned to stare up at the mountain as well. "I thought they jus' got fed up with the village."

Link shook his head and stretched one more time, to get the kinks out of his back. "I have a feeling it's got something to do with the volcano being active. Toby, was the volcano like this before?"

Toby shrugged carelessly. "I dunno. I only got here three days ago." My ears perked up. Well, this was new. I thought he was from Kakariko Village. If he wasn't from around here, then where was he from?

Link beat me to the question. "Oh. Where are you from?"

Toby gestured vaguely. "Jus' some village up in the mountains. It's no big deal." Well, that didn't explain much. It appeared he didn't want to speak of the subject anymore, and Link let it drop. "We should get goin'. Renado-shit!" Toby yelped suddenly, and we jumped. "I gotta go get the rest of the livestock! I'll be seeing ya'll later!" And with that, the teen raced down the path.

Link shook his head in exasperation, before beckoning me over. "I guess we should be heading back," he said with a slight groan. "I don't think there's anything else we can do today, and I want to try soaking in the inn's hot spring."

Jack scoffed sourly. "You're just saying that because you're too fucking lazy to do anything else," she retorted, but Link didn't notice the insult, mostly because he wasn't a wolf anymore. Just the thought of that made the fox seethe with anger. It wasn't fair, watching him as he went about his business, human again, while she was stuck in this fucking fox costume. But then again, life was never fair. If it was fair, Jack would still be back home, living happily with her mom, dad, and Aidan, not traipsing around this stupid country with this stupid blonde as he finished his stupid quest. Not only that, but she had to fucking defend him from assassinations, and that proved useless, seeing as he was more capable with a sword than Jack was with her own teeth.

The fox growled in frustration and followed him down the path back to Kakariko village, only to see him stop at the sight of Renado.

"Uhh, Renado, sir? What are you doing up here?" Link asked, puzzled as Renado drew near. "Are you going to talk to the Gorons too?"

Renado shook his head. "No. I saw you heading up the mountain trail, so I was worried. It is far too dangerous to reach the Gorons of Death Mountain, Link!"

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out myself," Link said sheepishly, rubbing his sore rump. Jack snorted in reply.

Renado's lips twitched. "Well, it is fortunate that you are in one piece, then. They recognize only strength, Link, so a normal person would never be able to persuade them."

"I see," Link said, a frown on his face as he thought about his next move. "They're a lot stronger than I am…I'm going to have to figure something out-"

"There is one person that I know that was able to beat them," Renado interrupted, and Link stopped, his eyes widening.

"Who?" he demanded, and Renado's smile grew bigger.

"I believe that you are familiar with him, seeing as how he's the mayor of your village," Renado answered, and Link stopped, his mouth dropping open.

"What? Bo? He-!" Link made to run down the path. "We gotta find him and ask him about it!"

"One moment," Renado called, pausing Link in his mad dash back to Kakariko. "While you are there, please let him know that the children are safe."

"Oh, right." Link gave Renado an apologetic, sheepish grin. "I'll do that. C'mon, Jack, let's go back to Ordon!"

"We're going to have to walk the whole way?" Jack complained as she followed after him. "You know, that's really unfair, seeing as how we arrived in the village this morning-"

Screams and shouts arose from the village, and Link paused, his eyes widening, before he grimly drew his sword and rushed down to the village. Jack growled and chased after the blonde, wondering what the hell was going on.

They burst into the village, and her jaw dropped.

There was a horse thundering through the streets, its head tossing as she tried to buck three monsters off of its back. The horse, apparently, had already knocked one off, seeing as how Toby was now dragging the body off to the side. The horse rushed towards them, not seeing Link and Jack in its panic, and the blonde yelped, "Move!" before jumping out of the Clydesdale's way. Jack squawked and dodged the massive hooves, gasping in fright as one almost the entire size of her body slammed down next to her face.

The horse screamed aloud, its eyes rolling madly with fright, and Link dropped his sword and shield before grabbing the side of the horse's saddle and swinging himself on.

Jack watched in mild fascination and great anxiety as Link kicked the monsters off the bucking horse. They landed on the ground with shrieks of rage which were soon cut off by the men in the village, who had come to see what the commotion was all about. Jack gulped, before tearing her attention away and focusing back on Link.

He was struggling to keep a good grip on the reins, since the horse was determined to throw its riders off, but after a moment, Link managed to get a firm hold, and he pulled.

Surprised, the horse skidded to a stop, and Link leaned down, murmuring to her and stroking its quivering neck. Jack spotted Midna appear next to him, very faint in the sunlight, and speak with Link before diving back into his shadow. Jack didn't think anyone else noticed the movement, because no one reacted to the odd distortion in the light.

Toby cautiously approached the horse, before speaking and soothing the mare. "It's all right…no, that's not a monster on your back, jus' a madman by the name of Link. Oh, ya know him already? That's good…"

"You…you understand her?" panted Link, and Toby grinned up at the blonde.

"Sure do! Runs in the family! We've always been good with animals," he said as way of explanation. "We have this odd connection with them. It's been like that ever since our great-great-great grandma grew up on a horse ranch."

"So you can understand Jack, then?" Link asked, his bright blue eyes darting to the human-turned fox, and she scowled at him, trotting over.

"Sure-woah, little lady, Jack's not goin' t' bite," Toby said, yanking the horse down and reassuring her. "Jack, don't get too close yet, alright? Horses tend t' be a little skittish."

"Fine," Jack replied, and she sat down.

Link's eyebrows rose. "Huh. That's interesting." He patted the horse's side and slid out of the saddle. "Well, let's get you rested up, Epona. We'll leave tomorrow morning at dawn."

"Dawn?" Jack repeated, a look of growing horror on her canine face. "No. Hell no. I am not getting up at dawn."

"Ya will," Toby said with a grin, looking down at the fox. "I'm usually up by then too. If ya want, I can wake ya up…"

"No," she said flatly. Toby shrugged.

"Fine. Don't blame me if ya wake up wet."

Jack snarled in reply. "I'll bite your fucking fingers off if you do, asshole."

Toby chuckled. "I'd like t' see ya try."

* * *

They left early the next morning, like Link promised. Jack was never a morning person, and after a night of nightmares, she was even more grumpy than usual.

"Cheer up," Link had said as he settled her in the front of the saddle before swinging up himself. "It could be worse. We could be attacked by a horde of monsters or something."

"Hell yeah! And we could serve them tea and cookies!" Jack replied with mock cheeriness. Link stared at her, baffled at her odd turn of behavior, and Jack's smile was instantly erased to be replaced with a snarl. "Shut the hell up, and let me sleep in peace."

"That's not very nice," Epona said, and Jack jumped, startled and swearing like no tomorrow. "Keep it up, and I'll leave you where we are, even if Link likes you."

"Fine," Jack muttered sourly.

And with that, she curled up, and tried to go to sleep the best she could. It was slightly difficult, due to the rocking motion of the horse, but she persevered, and soon found herself waking up at the sight of familiar rolling plains and blue skies.

Jack sat up, her eyes scanning the fields with narrowed eyes, just in case. After all, if she wanted to get out of this mess, she would have to defend Link as much as possible. Finally, she slumped down and settled back down into a comfortable position.

"It's about time you woke up," Link said from above her, and she shrugged noncommittally. She didn't feel like talking. "Here's some jerky." A large hand dropped down in front of her face with a piece of meat, and she took it without question. She just wasn't in the mood to argue with someone that didn't understand her, and she wasn't in the mood to be mean and nasty.

Jack was tired of it all. She was tired of being a fox, and she was tired of being crude, rude, and uncaring. She wanted to go back to her old life, and spend a day of shopping with her mother, or tease Aidan about his crush, or even help her father weed the backyard. She even missed her stupid cat, Pan.

But now was not the time to let it all go. She was trapped in this world, trapped in this form, and damned if she was going to tell Link about herself, or else face the noose she made for herself.

"…Is something wrong?" Link asked hesitantly after a bit, glancing down at the fox that was perched on the front of Epona's saddle.

Jack shook her head.

"I'm only asking that because you seem less vicious than normal." Jack bared her teeth in reply, and Link smiled in amusement. "I stand corrected. Never mind, then."

And they fell back into their silence.

* * *

Travel through the Hyrule Fields was boring, and travel through Faron Woods was boring too, since Jack had seen them already. However, she perked up a bit when Link dismounted at the head of a bridge.

It spanned across a deep, misty gorge, and Jack watched, interested, as Link took the Epona's reins and led her across the bridge. The air was clear, almost fresh, and Jack looked around with interest as Link swung back into the saddle again.

They passed a spring, one that seemed to have a broken gate. However, a bloody stench emanated from the spring, a stench that still had yet to be washed away. Epona shifted nervously, and Link placed a comforting hand on her neck.

"Don't worry," he murmured to the horse. "It happened a while ago."

"What happened?" Jack asked, twisting back to look at the spring. It was beautifully decorated, but the stench put her off. "Did something happen to the spring?"

"That's where I was kidnapped," Epona replied softly. "Link was knocked out, and two other colts from the village were taken as well."

"Oh," Jack said softly. That explained the stench and the broken gates.

They trotted into a clearing, and Jack's attention was stolen by the most badass tree-house she had ever seen in her life.

"Holy shit," she breathed, staring up at the building. "I would have killed to have a tree house like this when I was younger. Aidan too." It was situated on top of a large stone wall, but the back part of the house hung off of the stone, built so that the trees behind it supported the back wall.

"Like it?" Link asked, dismounting from Epona and removing her reins. "We'll be staying here for a few days while I talk with the mayor." He lifted Jack and settled her onto the ground before beginning to remove bags. "Midna, can you come and help me get these up to the front door?"

"Fine," groused Midna. Jack raised an eyebrow. The imp had seemed oddly reclusive these days.

"What's the matter?" Link asked, puzzled as he detached the bags.

With a violent flick of her wrist, Midna sent the bags hurtling towards the door. They banged loudly against the wooden structure, and she scowled. "Just impatient. How much longer is this going to take?"

Link sighed as he removed the saddle. "Look, Midna, it takes a while to travel. If I was a wolf again, then maybe this would be a little faster, but I'm not, so we'll just have to wait. Besides, it's been a while since I've been in the village."

"Yeah, a total of two weeks," Midna growled. "Just get a move on, wolf-boy, and figure out how to beat the Gorons." And with that final statement, she dove back into the saddle.

"Touchy," Link muttered, and was rewarded with a shock of black, glittering magic to his leg. "Ow! Fine…"

He stored the saddle and other riding supplies in what Jack assumed was a basement in the rock-face the house sat on, and he stretched. "Well, since it's still light outside, let's take a visit to the village, shall we?" he asked, and Jack shrugged in reply. Link grinned. "It's not that bad. The village is actually pretty nice. I'm sure they've got most of it repaired from the monster attack a few weeks ago." He patted Epona one last time, and began to head down a trail that lead to the village.

With nothing better to do, the fox followed after him.

* * *

Jack sat off to the side, watching jealously as the villagers greeted the blonde-haired teen with hugs, handshakes, and kisses, envying the way that he laughed and smiled with delight. One woman in particular, a heavily pregnant woman, wrapped her arms around the teen and didn't seem keen on letting go.

"Oh, thank goodness you're safe!" the woman exclaimed, pulling away slightly to look up at Link's face. "You had me and Rusl so worried-is Colin safe? What of the other children-?"

"They're fine," Link replied with a large grin. "I saw them all in Kakariko Village."

There was a loud outcry from the general population at his words.

"Kakariko? What're the tykes doin' in Kakariko?"

"Well, at least they're safe and sound-"

"The children-you found the children?"

"Oh, thank the goddesses, they're alive-!"

Jack felt her throat closing up at the joyful reunion and decided that she was better off somewhere else, away from this. This was like a needle to her heart, reminding her strongly of what she lost, who she was missing. And she couldn't handle it. It was still far too soon since her mother's death. She wanted comfort, and she wanted them from her brother, her father-hell, her mother. And none of them were here. She would just have to endure it alone.

Without another word, she got to her feet, and trotted back up the path to the tree house, not realizing that a pair of blue eyes watched her for a moment before returning back to the crowd.

* * *

It had gotten dark by the time Link returned, and she never noticed because she was somewhat occupied. Sometime during Link's reunion with the village, Jack had started a conversation with the large Clydesdale, and was currently arguing about the tastiness of different foods ("Grass is good!" "No it's not! I'll eat dandelions, damn it, but eating grass is going too far! Meat is three times better!").

"What…are you doing?" Link asked with a baffled expression on his face. Jack immediately paused in her argument to glare at Link for a moment before shrugging.

"Nothing," she said.

"Just venting frustration," Epona added. Not like he could understand them, anyways.

"Am not!" Jack snapped back angrily, whirling to glare up at the large creature.

Epona looked a tad too smug as she replied. "Are too."

Link seized Jack around the middle before the red fox could leap at the Clydesdale. "And that's enough out of you," he muttered, slinging Jack over his shoulder and climbing up the ladder into the house. "Good night, Epona."

She whinnied quietly in reply before making herself comfortable for the night.

"Glad to see you two getting along," Link said. Jack growled in reply.

"Sure," She said sarcastically. He opened the door and walked in, seemingly familiar with the place as he avoided furniture to get to the fireplace. It was dark by the time he got the fire going, and he began to pull jams and breads out of a cupboard.

Jack looked around. The house was cozy, with a few hand-made rugs littering the area, a wooden sword propped up against the wall, trunks full of clothes, and a few other medieval items. She took a tentative sniff, and it hit her like a thunderbolt.

This was Link's house.

Then she mentally smacked herself. Of _course _it had to be his house! He was completely at home here, he knew where everything was, he knew where to store things, and he had no qualms about going in and out of it. His scent was coating almost everything in this house. It wasn't as strong as the very source itself by the fireplace, but it was unmistakably Link's. And to Jack's growing horror, it didn't smell half-bad, either.

"Here's some food if you want some," Link called, and resisting the urge to stick her nose into the fire and burn it all off, Jack sighed and trotted towards the plate.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

After eating and bathing (earning a very amusing reaction from the fox-she yelped and raced under the bed), he sat by the fire, contemplating the mystery that surrounded the sleeping creature that lay next to him. Earlier, when he was talking with the villagers, he could almost sense the jealousy and sadness radiating off of the red-furred creature. Not only that, but when he looked back, he saw her tread back up to his house with her tail dragging and her ears laid back. A sign that she was upset.

Link sighed loudly in frustration, running a hand through his damp hair. He couldn't remember doing anything that was upsetting to the red fox, nor could he remember doing something that would have made her jealous...unless...

The image of Uli pulling him into a hug flashed through his mind, and he wondered if Jack recognized her as Link's mother. That would certainly explain the jealousy. Link shook his head. Uli was a mother figure to Link, not his actual mother. To be honest, he could barely remember her; she had died when he was three or four. That would also explain the reason why Jack was upset. She did tell him that she lost her mother recently. Seeing what she saw earlier today was probably a painful reminder to her.

* * *

**Please review! I always love good feedback. And a million thanks to **_**Songbird of the End**_**, for beta-ing! :3**


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